Sharper than a Two-Edged Sword
by templeofdecay
Summary: Miles away from Isaac, whom she hadn't seen in months, Jenna finds herself deeply attracted to Piers. Although she wishes to follow her heart, she feels increasingly more guilty for betraying Isaac, especially as the party nears Jupiter Lighthouse. Will she remain faithful to her childhood sweetheart, or are new attachments too strong to break?
1. Chapter 1: Split

_Disclaimer_: This is a work of fan fiction using characters from the Golden Sun world of Weyard, which is trademarked by Nintendo/CAMELOT. I do not claim ownership over any characters in this story or over the world used for the purposes of this story. The below fiction is of my own invention and is meant for entertainment only. It is not part of the official story line, while parts of this story may allude back to actual events that occur in the game. I do not profit financially from the creation and publication of this story.

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Chapter 1: Split

Madra. That beautiful town. That place that sparked it all. Bless it and curse it! It has brought both love and despair. For it was in that town that Jenna's heart was both mended and torn.

…

**Madra**

She couldn't stop looking at him. He was tall, robust, and had a stately yet gentle face with sharp yellow eyes. How could she tear her eyes away? All the while, she had been stealing glances at him, looking away sheepishly as he turned in her direction. Even now, in the midst of conversation, she was looking at him as he scrunched his eyebrows together in confusion. Lost in concentration, she could hardly hear about what the others were talking. Only the mention of her name snapped her out of her trance.

"But, Jenna," Sheba had said, "Aren't you and Isaac an item? Couldn't you, you know, do something?"

Jenna snapped her head around and blushed. Startled and eager to hide the fact that she hadn't been paying much attention, she quickly shot, "A... An item? No! I mean... It's not like that! Not... really." Jenna bit her tongue and looked at her feet. The sudden mention of Isaac reminded her of her situation, and she was overcome with a sense of guilt. She was already bound to Isaac; she shouldn't be looking at other men so deviously. But still…

And then there was Felix. Upon remembering her brother's overprotective demeanor, she looked up. Sure enough, Jenna was caught in Felix's death stare. _Great, now he's going to say something, _Jenna thought. Under her breath, she muttered just loudly enough, "Stupid Sheba." Having heard this, the Jupiter Adept turned to Jenna and narrowed her eyes in an angry glare.

Feeling the tension build, Kraden struggled to return the conversation to the subject at hand. After fumbling for a bit, he managed to say, "For now, we should press onward to Jupiter Lighthouse, like we'd planned."

Finally recaptured in the conversation, Jenna jumped in. "But... what about Garet and the others?"

At her right, Sheba slyly suggested, "Don't you mean…" She had Jenna's attention now. The Mars Adept stood erect, her face slowly turning red in embarrassment. She turned her head in Sheba's direction, her eyes pleading for the girl's mercy. But no mercy she got. With her eyebrow cocked and a devilish grin on her face, Sheba looked to Jenna and finished the sentence: "Isaac?"

Jenna was trying to hold in her anger, but at the sight of a more convincingly suspicious brother, she burst. "Sheba! Be quiet!" she cried, berating the Adept like a child. Realizing that she had made a scene, she tried to laugh it off, joining in on Sheba's snickering. _Sheba, you are __**so**__ dead!_

…

**Piers' Ship**

After trekking across Indra, they had finally reached it. Piers' ship was magnificent; it had all the grandeur one could expect from an Adept's ship. Not only that, but it was spacious, too. As soon as they reached the ship, they began to explore. Jenna and Sheba especially were eager to pick out their rooms. In the end, they decided to share, exclaiming that the rooms were too large for one person to sleep in. Felix only shrugged.

Piers was teaching Felix how to steer the ship by using his psynergy to control its speed and direction. It took some time, but the Venus Adept eventually got the hang of it. The crew decided to set sail for the Apojii Islands, as suggested by Madra's mayor. "If there's any place you should see, it's Apojii," he proposed. "We've had some travelers in Madra before. They spoke of the islands as if they were enchanted. I've heard testament of the travelers' genuine desire to see the islands again."

Night had fallen, and Kraden and the Adepts were nestled tightly in their respective beds. Jenna, who was wrestling with insomnia, tossed and turned endlessly. Finally, she had made up her mind to get some fresh air. As quietly as possible, she crept out of her bed. She tiptoed to the cabin door and slowly opened it. Just as the door began to budge, it let out a loud creak.

_Crap!_ Jenna began to sweat nervously. She checked to see if Sheba was still asleep in bed. To Jenna's luck, the young Adept merely rolled over. Jenna let out a sigh of relief. Then, in caveat, she whispered to herself, "Next time, I shouldn't offer to share."

Once on deck, the flame-user walked to the rail. Sea spray licked the side of the ship and the smell of salt filled the air. Jenna balanced herself on the rail and breathed in deeply with her eyes closed. She rolled her head back and looked up at the stars. _Hmm. I wonder how much of astronomy I remember,_ she thought.

She stood for some time gazing at the stars, trying to pick out the constellations that she recognized. Yet, after a few minutes, she began to think about home. As she began to walk with her right hand on the rail, still staring up, she thought of the days before the accident. She remembered how she used to sit by the waterfall, dangling bare feet into the cool water. Isaac and Garet would sit with her as her brother read in the shade of a nearby tree. The kids would look at Felix every now and then, just to see when he wasn't paying attention. Then, Garet would start splashing her.

"Aah! I'm all wet!" she would squeal. Then, she would splash him back. Isaac would join in, too. Then, Felix would notice and –

_Wham!_ Before she knew it, Jenna's face made contact with a soft, cotton tunic and the chest of –

"Piers!" Jenna exclaimed in surprise once she pulled her face away. "I'm sorry," she said in a more hushed tone, respecting the slumber of her friends. "I didn't hear you coming."

"No, it is my fault," Piers pushed. "I was not watching where I was going." Piers, finally taking notice of Jenna in her sleeping gown, averted his eyes and looked to the water. "What business do you have?"

"Sorry?" Jenna asked, looking confused.

Turning back to face to person to whom he was speaking, Piers replied, "You are out of bed. You must have some reason."

"Oh, I just couldn't sleep. I though the fresh air would do me some good. What about you?"

"I came to see the moon. It is full tonight, and the air is clear." Piers pointed to the moon in the distance. "It is quite beautiful, is it not?"

"Yes, quite, but I am more captivated by the ocean," Jenna replied. "I had never seen it before. I can't help but feel both peaceful and powerless out here, there being no land in sight and all." She let out a girlish giggle. "Silly, isn't it? There's far more to see than the ocean."

The two began to walk gingerly about the ship. The silence between they grew to be quite disturbing. Finally, Jenna thought of something.

"Piers, I'm rather curious about your psynergy." To this, Piers raised an eyebrow. "You see, I haven't actually been close to any Mercury Adepts before. Do you think you could show me something?"

Piers stopped. Jenna stopped walking, too, and turned to face him. Abruptly, Piers smirked. "And why should I not? I have something in mind."

Jenna grinned. Inside, she could feel her spirit jump in excitement. Still beaming, she questioned, "Should I sit?"

Confused, Piers replied, "Can you not stand?"

"Well, I thought if I sat, it would be more like you were an entertainer, like a magician."

Piers still could not grasp Jenna's train of thought. In Piers' perplexity, Jenna looked at him with pity. In a small voice, she muttered, "I'll just stand."

Prepared to move on with his psynergy display, Piers held his hand in front of him. He concentrated his psynergy to his hand and then to the air around him. The water vapor in the air began to freeze. It fell as snow into his palm.

Jenna gasped in amazement. "Snow!" she whispered elatedly. Her mouth agape in wonder, she looked up to Piers. He looked back to her, and their eyes met. She smiled happily. Slightly uncomfortable yet pleased, Piers returned the smile.

Suddenly, Piers felt something touch his outstretched hand. Looking to see what it was, he saw Jenna's hand below his. He looked at her questioningly.

"Just watch!" Her childish delight hung in the air like a fragrance.

Captivated, Piers watched the sight before him. Surprisingly to Piers, his hand began to warm. _Ah, yes. She is a Mars Adept. This was to be expected_, Piers thought, mentally kicking himself for responding in a shocked manner as Jenna heated his hand.

The snow that had collected in the palm of Piers' hand melted into water. It began to trickle off the side of his hand, splashing on the surface of the boat and wetting his and Jenna's bare feet. Piers quickly cupped his hand to prevent dropping any more water.

Jenna laughed, "Let me handle this." She took Piers' hand and put her lips to it. Piers trembled nervously as she drank the rest of the water. Bent over as she was, her hair began to slip past her shoulders and make contact with Piers' skin. Unbeknownst to Jenna, he cringed uncomfortably.

When she had finished, she stood up and wiped her lips dry. "Never had I had such clean water!"

Piers chuckled, "You should drink of the water in Lemuria. It is most refreshing!"

The girl looked at him astutely and smiled innocently. _Piers, just what are you thinking?_ After all that she had done, he didn't appear to be calculating accurately her actions. _Do you have such a thick skull?_

"Jenna!" An angry voice broke the serene mood that the two had created.

She turned sharply on her heel.

Felix stood aghast at his sister. Collecting himself, he ordered through his teeth, "Get to bed."

Jenna swallowed hard. _I've sure done it now._ She hardly looked Piers in the face when she muttered "Good night" and stormed back to her room.

She stopped before the door, leaning her back against the wall. Already, she had begun to calm down. She let out a sigh, "Why do I do this to myself?" Then, she turned back to the door and her next challenge: opening it without waking Sheba. Cautiously, she placed her hand on the doorknob. She turned it slowly until the knob wouldn't give. Then, she put some of her weight into opening the door. However, the door had other ideas.

In seconds, she came crashing down onto the floor of her bedchamber. Sheba stood above her, snickering to herself. "I thought I heard you coming down the hall. Just a note for the future: It's rather hard to be discreet when you have such a heavy step."

Jenna pushed herself up and pointed accusingly at Sheba. "You little _twerp_!"

Sheba began to laugh hysterically. "Oh, Jenna, you certainly did it this time!"

Standing erect with a serious face on, Jenna inquired, "What are you talking about?"

"I know what happened on deck!"

"Yeah, right!" Jenna laughed mockingly. Then she remembered something. "Wait. No… You wouldn't."

Sheba began to laugh louder as she watched an enraged Jenna figure out that she had read her mind. With a snort, Sheba let Jenna in on a secret she had discovered and took advantage of several times in the past. "It's much harder for you to discern when your mind is being read when you're angry, you know!"

Jenna returned with a shocked expression on her face, mixed with a burning fury that was reaching dangerous proportions.

"That's what makes moments like this so much fun!"

* * *

As you probably noticed, the dialogue in Madra between Jenna, Sheba, and Kraden is directly quoted from the game; I did not come up with that dialogue off the top of my head, and I do not take credit for those lines of speech.

Thank you for reading! Reviews and comments are welcome and appreciated. Please review.


	2. Chapter 2: Starved

Hello! Well, here is the second chapter to "Sharper than a Two-Edged Sword"! Do enjoy. Also, don't forget to review!

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Chapter 2: Starved

**Piers' Ship**

Jenna awoke with a pit of fury furled in her core. Not even last night's sleep could mollify her, although it did do something of consequence. Rather than pitting her anger against her brother, Jenna now thought her malignant nature would serve best to scold the way she had acted last night.

_I haven't had physical contact with anyone particularly handsome in months, and what do I do? Just throw myself on some guy?_ She ground her teeth together in frustration._ And not just any "guy," a fellow party member! Ugh, am I slowly losing my grip or _what_? I'm such a —_

It was at the precise moment when Jenna realized just what had woke her up; the smell of food filled her lungs as she inhaled deeply. Just that quickly, she forgot her anger. A smile quickly spread across her lips as her stomach growled.

"Finally! Something hot!" she whispered fiercely.

Since they had set sail, the Adepts (plus Kraden) had been surviving solely on the fruits and loaves of bread that they had bought at the Madran market. Although the girls had tired of eating the same cold food day after day and insisted upon something fresh, Felix argued that he was not about to let good food go to waste.

Pulling her covers off herself and swiftly getting on her feet, Jenna excitedly moved to Sheba's bed. So animated was she that she did not even stop to think what chaos could unfold from waking Sheba from her slumber.

Shaking the young Adept harshly, Jenna cried, "Sheba! Get up! Hot breakfast!" No later than Sheba began to groan in displeasure of having her dreaming interrupted did Jenna fleetingly leave her side to dress.

"Ermm," Sheba yawned as she rubbed her groggy eyes, "What?" Then, her brain finally becoming aware of what her ears had heard, Sheba shot up in bed with her eyes wide. "Did you… Hot…?" The girl eyed Jenna for verification, waiting for her to nod.

Jenna nodded, as expected.

"Hot… _breakfast_?" Sheba could not hide it; a smile forced the corners of her mouth to rise.

Jenna, who was smiling equally as gleefully, nodded again.

Sheba gasped pleasantly. "Beat you to the kitchen!"

Jenna responded with at snarky smirk. _You're on, but I'm already dressed!_ Tugging on her boot, she made a break for the door. "Still gonna beat me, are you?" she called over her shoulder.

"You didn't even comb your hair! You look horrendous!" Sheba cried at the top of her lungs.

…

Jenna paused to catch her breath once she neared the kitchen. She had most certainly beaten Sheba, and now she would reap the benefits of a hot meal. Having caught her breath, she opened the door before her, the only obstacle between food and her empty stomach. Jenna climbed the short set of stairs and turned left, entering the dusky kitchen. She saw before the stove her brother, standing with his back to her. He was still in his nightclothes, and he was wearing a white night cap.

When Felix was in his early teens, Jenna remembered, he would often come home in a sullen mood. Storming around the house with fisted hands, he was quite intimidating. At that time, Father was not yet home from hunting and Mother was busy cross-stitching, which required much of her concentration. Felix, however, greatly distracted her, so she would try to appease his temper. Regardless of what she said, though, Felix would simply not listen. Oddly enough, cooking was how Mother got through to him.

It all began with that first lesson on soup. Felix was busy sulking, and Mother was preparing a meal as she waited for Father to arrive with the meat. For whatever reason, the sight of Mother tasting the soup's broth and adding spices to make it better fascinated him. So much so, in fact, that he forgot his anger and stood over Mother's shoulder as she cooked. Eventually, she was annoyed and said, "If you want to cook, just come around and let me teach you! Quit standing over my shoulder!" Felix looked both hurt and hesitant, so Mother smiled and handed him a knife saying, "Why don't you chop the carrots, son?"

And from that day, Felix had been taking lessons from Mother every day he came home in a bad mood, which was enough for him to become as good a cook as he is now. (In due course, cooking became more of a past time than a way for him to take out his anger on helpless vegetables.)

Jenna could bring up the story, but right now, she was more interested on eating what Felix had spent the better part of an hour making.

Stealthily creeping up behind the focused cook, Jenna pounced when she got close enough, tightly hugging around his neck; her brother hunched forward on impact. "Goodmorning!" Jenna sang. Looking briefly over his shoulder at the fish in the pan that he held, she hummed, "Mmm! That looks great!" Then, she let go, took a step back, and questioned, "What kind of fish?"

The cook straightened up, turned off the stove, and put the pan down. Then, he turned to face Jenna.

"It is sea bass," Piers said with a smile. "Fresh from the ocean, it is. I caught it myself this morning!"

Jenna's jaw dropped at the sight of Piers, who most certainly was _not_ her brother, and blushed in embarrassment. She covered her agape mouth with a hand as she scrunched her eyes shut.

Noticing her shock, Piers continued with, "Your brother, whom I am sure you mistook me for," — Jenna nodded assuring — "is currently steering the ship. Ah, now that my assumptions have been confirmed, I will disregard your hug as error."

"Er, yes, thanks for that," Jenna replied, taking her hand away and smiling shyly. In an effort to shake off her unease, she asked, "When did you learn to cook?" Quite obviously, food was rather the only thing on her mind.

"Oh, several years ago, I suppose," Piers replied nonchalantly. Then, he turned and picked up the pan. He gestured with it as he asked, "Are you hungry?"

Jenna perked up almost immediately. "Starved!" As she took her place at the table, Piers began to serve breakfast, splitting the meal into five. His sea bass was pan-seared and served with seaweed and a crust of bread. Jenna heartily dug in without waiting for Piers to take his seat beside her. After the first bite, she paused and exclaimed, "Oh, my! This fish is _amazing_!"

Piers smiled. Something about this girl's great appreciation moved him; he had never been thanked so genuinely before for his cooking. Then again, perhaps it is only because food means something in her culture.

"Thank you," said he. "I am quite pleased with it myself." He returned the empty platter to the counter and took a seat beside the flame-user.

"Do you… cook… often?" Jenna asked between bites.

"Not as much as I would like to, no. Although, I had plenty of time for it back home." Piers delicately cut into his fish and began to eat. He paused, smiled contentedly, and continued to eat.

_For not cooking much, this is better than anything I could ever make!_ "So why didn't you?" Jenna asked, still chewing.

"How should I put this for you, Jenna?" Piers wondered. He paused, with his fork in his hand, and gazed at the ceiling as the words came to him. "The artistry of cooking is not as highly considered in Lemuria as it is in some of the villages I have come across. It is seen as something of a 'waste of time.' The people in my village simply do not find enjoyment in many things. They are… tired, you might say."

Jenna, who had finished eating by this time, was looking from Piers to her empty plate and back, puzzled. _How could someone not enjoy eating something as scrumptious as this?_ In her mind, she thought of the delicious crunch her sea bass had and of its light, refreshing taste.

Recognizing Jenna's confusion, Piers replied. "Perchance you will understand if we make it back to my home. Anyhow," returning his attention to his meal, "we have not as great a selection of spices and poultry as you do. Therefore, the range of possible meals is largely —"

"I'M SO SORRY!" Sheba had hurriedly burst through the kitchen door. "My hair was _so_ uncooperative today. I was so fixated that I nearly forgot about breakfast, and then I began to worry that I would eat the first hot meal I've had in _weeks_ when it was already cool."

"Do not fret, Sheba. It is still quite hot," Piers responded in an irritated fashion, slightly irked that his conversation had been so brusquely interrupted. "It is here on your plate." Then, turning to Jenna, Piers suggested, "If you would like, we could continue this conversation later."

"Most certainly!" Jenna replied, playfully poking fun at Piers' almost imperial manner of speaking. Piers did not seem to notice this.

Sheba eagerly took her place and began eating. Like Jenna, she took one bite and immediately began praising Piers for his handiwork.

…

After everyone had arisen and eaten breakfast, a conference was held. Kraden and Felix addressed the issue that, since the ship was being anchored at night, they were wasting precious time. Kraden suggested a system of rotating four-hour shifts of two teams that would sustain their journey through the night. Each team required a primary healer, automatically separating Jenna and Piers from the group. To balance fighting styles, Felix was paired with Jenna and Sheba with Piers. With this new system in place, the party reached the Apojii Islands in nearly half the time it would have taken.

The party reached the islands just as night began to fall. Tired out of their wits, they set anchor and slept until daybreak. One by one, they began to awake to the gentle rays of the sun peaking in through the ship's windows.

…

**Apojii Islands**

Before the sun had come up, Piers was already out the door. He was not accustomed to getting up before the sun, but something in him said "Arise!" And so, he did. Besides, as soon as he had opened his eyes, he realized he was no longer tired enough to sleep.

After he had dressed, Piers wrote a short note to Felix, both his roommate and the first most likely person to see his note. It read simply:

Felix,

I have decided to venture forth into the arcane isle.

I assume that I will not be back shortly.

- Piers

Piers had frozen the memo to the chamber door and had left before Felix had even rolled over in his sleep. Now, he stood barefoot on the beach of the exotic island chain, deeply breathing in the salty ocean air as the water crashed around his feet. _Now this…,_ he thought, _this is what I imagined an island paradise to be. _Piers frowned slightly._ And yet, no book or memoir of which I have read accurately described the shape of these '_Cocos nucifera_.'_ Piers leisurely made his way over to the foot of several coconut trees. He bent down and gingerly lifted a ripe coconut from the ground. _My, is this heavy for its size!_ Piers droned. _This most certainly does not resemble a large, hirsute onion bulb._ As Piers turned around to face the ship, he whispered to himself, "I wonder if Jenna has ever seen the _cocos nucifera_. It really is quite amazing…"

…

"Mom… please, Dad, don't… don't go…," Jenna muttered in her sleep as she rolled onto her side. "I can't…" And with that second roll, she found that there was no more of the bed on which to roll. "Mmmf!" she cried as her side met the floor. Hurriedly, she sat up, still helplessly disconnected from her surroundings. Jenna rubbed her eyes and then let her eyes adjust.

_Gauging from the amount of light in the room,_ Jenna thought,_ it's still an acceptable hour at which to sleep._ She stifled a yawn as she leaned by her bed, looking out the window. She noticed a certain emptiness unfurling in her core. _Is this hunger?_ She guessed, but was unsatisfied. _No, this isn't the same. I know this feeling to be something else._

Jenna sighed and thought of her nightmare. Once again, she had envisioned herself losing her parents. Ever since the accident, she had been suffering from this single nightmare. It was not occurring as frequently as it had in the past, but still. One reoccurring nightmare too many, right?

_Is it this? Is this loss still eating away at me?_ A single tear slid down her cheek as she looked at the sunrise. _Mom, Dad, are you looking towards the sun as I? It shines so joyfully, as if it doesn't know the sorrow that exists in the world below it. One day, we will gaze upon it together just as joyfully. _Jenna let her eyes fall to the floor. She quietly moaned as her eyes flooded with tears. _Will I ever fill this whole in me?_ Another tear made its way down her face. _Is this emptiness my single reminder of…?_

Suddenly, Jenna wiped her tears away and mentally cursed herself for having wept. _It's been three years! Why can't I get over this? Gaah, it's just hunger!_

Jenna walked to the door and placed her hand on the knob. Then she paused for several minutes. Finally, she turned sadly and crept under her covers. _No. It's not hunger. I don't know what it is anymore._ She pulled the covers up to her chin and hugged the sheets close to herself, trying to find a haven in their gentle warmth.

…

Several minutes later, Felix awoke. He sat up in bed and rested his head in his palms until he was ready to get moving again. When he was, he pulled the covers off himself, stood up, and stretched out his back.

"Hey, Piers. D'you want me to get the breakfast today?" Felix asked to the empty bed behind him. When no response came, he turned. "Piers?"

Piers' bed was deserted, its bedding folded meticulously. It looked rather as if it was eagerly awaiting the return of its owner. It was almost… cute. You know, for a bed.

"Okay, guess you got breakfast, then," Felix muttered under his breath. He was feeling oddly serene – that is, until two minutes later when he found Piers' note on the door.

After reading, Felix ripped the note off the door and stormed down the hall to Kraden's room. So furious was Felix that he did not even stop to think of his courtesy; he just started pounding his fist at the scholar's door until Kraden opened it.

As soon as Felix saw Kraden, he shoved Piers' memo in his face and bellowed, "WHAT THE _HECK_ DOES 'ARCANE' EVEN MEAN?!"

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Thank you for reading, reviewing, favorite-ing. It is much appreciated. Any how, I hope you've enjoyed this chapter! Please review.

BTW, I'm sorry for being so bad at writing these personal comment things. School has made me sound so dull on paper.

- Tem


	3. Chapter 3: Ensnared

For whatever reason, this chapter was really hard to write. I actually cut some things out and shifted it to narrative rather than speech to shorten it. Anyway, I really hope you like it! Thank you for reading and reviewing as well! It really means a lot to me to know my work is appreciated. Without further ado, here is Chapter 3: Ensnared.

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Chapter 3: Ensnared

**Apojii Islands**

Kraden, still overwhelmed by fatigue, took the note from the irate Felix and began to read. Once he had finished, he returned the letter and carelessly said, "It seems Piers went to explore the mysterious – that is 'arcane' – island on which we landed." Then, with a "let me be," Kraden turned and closed the door on Felix's disbelieving face.

Crumpling the note in his hand, Felix turned on his heel and noisily made his way back to his room, where he hurriedly dressed. Felix was on his fourth attempt of strapping on his leather sword harness — cursing his fumbling fingers as he went — when he looked up and saw Piers' bed. This time, the bed seemed almost distressed, as if it knew of the hell its owner would soon receive from the man standing before it. The top corners of the pillows seemed to droop at the thought of Piers' potential danger (or even death). Oddly enough, Felix's heart sank at the sight of the pitiful inanimate object.

Years before when he was traveling with Saturos and Menardi, Felix recalled, all he had on which to sleep were a few cloths and the dirt ground. He might have been the Proxians' pet, but he was treated like their prisoner. That is, until he "proved himself useful," as Menardi had put it. Felix was up to the challenge once the woman set it before him, but he could never have guessed how strenuous the test would be or how long it would take him to fall into the favor of the warriors.

After a day of beating and sparring with swords and psynergy, the only thing Felix had to console him and lick his wounds was that pile of cloth on the dirt. So when he looked at Piers' sorry bed, he could not help but feel pity – for the bed, not for Piers. Thus, he let slip his grip on his anger.

"Don't worry," Felix whispered. "I won't rip his head off, you _stupid_ ball of goose feathers," he spat in disgust for letting it get the better of him. Felix tied his cape around his neck as he walked out of the room. Once he had passed the doorframe, he smirked subtly. _Yet, if I do, he'll never be able to leave his precious bed again._

…

"Do you think we should see what the matter is?" Sheba asked Jenna in a whisper. Felix's pounding on Kraden's door woke her up with a startle. Lying on her back, she was gazing at the ceiling, contemplating whether she should act upon what woke her. To some degree, she felt like getting up to soothe Felix; yet, she feared coming between him and his rage. Of all the people there were on the boat to talk with, Felix spent most of his time consumed in his fury. And so, she hesitated to leave her bed.

Jenna, too, awoke at the audible sound of Felix's frustration, although she had detected something suspicious even in her slumber. Now that she knew what it was, she removed her hand from the hilt of her staff and returned it to the warmth the covers provided. She sighed, "Leave him to it, Sheba." Noticing the Jupiter Adept huff in dissatisfaction, she suggested, "It'll only be to our disadvantage if we approach him when he's like this. I would know."

Jenna turned on her side and faced the wall. _Please_, she pleaded, _don't do anything rash, Felix._

…

Luckily, Felix did not have to search long before he found Piers. The Lemurian was still ashore, occupied by the multitude of coconuts that had fallen to the ground. Piers was seated on the sand, surrounded by several cut coconuts. (Although it took Piers some time, he discovered that he could cut the top of the coconut and preserve its milk if he used psynergy. Concentrating water into a thin, high-speed beam, he was able to do just that.) When Felix approached him, he looked up.

"Ah, Felix!" he exclaimed. "I was wondering when you would come. Look!" – He gestured to the cut coconuts around him – "I have discovered how to crack the _Cocos nucifera_ open!"

_Yeah, and I might have cracked open your _Cocos nucifera _if I hadn't made a promise to your damn bed,_ Felix thought as a sinister grin etched its way onto his face. However, his malice soon vanished, for at the sight of Piers' smiling face, he felt himself losing his composure. To Felix, Piers quite looked like an idiotic four-year-old. Felix made a fist in an effort to hold his anger in as he cursed out the bed that made him promise Piers' safety. Yet, quite expectedly, this feat was near impossible.

"Piers, did it ever occur to you how _stupid_ it was to explore this place on your own?" Felix spat, disregarding the Adept's joy.

Hurt at Felix's remark, Piers stood and retorted, "I am no child, Felix. I can take care of myself, whether you agree or not."

"And what if you were attacked by a pack of beasts and dragged far into the woods where you were mauled and torn limb from limb? Do you expect any of us to know where you were?"

"My, my, Felix. You've quite the imagination," Piers joked. However, seeing Felix was not pleased, he grew serious once more. "I would not suspect you to know anything more than that I have disappeared. If such a thing would occur, I would say I wished it upon myself. Still, I doubt it would come to that."

Felix took a step closer and vehemently grabbed Piers by the collar. "I don't _care_ how strong you think you are or how lofty." Felix's breath was hot in Piers' face. "_Next_ time, _you_ take someone to back you, or _I'll_ take your boat and find someone more _worthy_ to be a member of this party." At the word "worthy," Felix unintentionally spat in Piers' face.

The Lemurian grimaced. Piers tried to shake himself free of Felix's grip, but found it useless without force. Finally, he gave in. "You have my word; I will not take leave alone again."

Satisfied, Felix nodded and relaxed his grip; Piers shook himself free. Piers straightened out his garbs before replying, "You know, Felix, that if you did abandon me and captured my ship, you would find it rather difficult to enter Lemuria. Even if you managed to reach the city, you would never be let in without me." Piers looked up and caught Felix's frustrated glance. "Never you worry, though," Piers continued. "I intend not to use that against you. Think of it as… a friend's reminder, nothing more." He then smiled and returned the conversation to the coconuts that he had prepared for breakfast.

…

During breakfast, Felix laid out the plans for that day: the team would enter the village and talk to the locals to see if they could get a lead on where they should go next. For one thing, there were several tropical islands in Weyard, and there must be some reason in particular why Apojii was so popular. Furthermore, to Piers' dismay, Felix enforced the idea of traveling in pairs of two, at least. Smiling coherently, Kraden chirped, "Safety in numbers, as they always say!" The Adepts went their separate ways with the decision to rendezvous at the inn for lunch at noon.

…

"Three hundred and fifty-two coins, please," the woman said, holding out her palm.

Jenna furrowed her brows and snickered. "What? Come on. What for?"

For the past twenty minutes, Jenna had been speaking with the town's matchmaker. She did not intend on it, but the woman just pulled her aside and began ranting about Sheth, some muscular village boy who was preparing for a coming-of-age ceremony. To be honest, Jenna had not been listening closely to the woman's explanation of the ritual. All she had managed to catch was that Sheth, along with other village boys, would swim the distance from the Apojii Islands to the island in the south where they would be proclaimed men. Apparently, the southern island held a secret that only the strongest man would learn, or so it was said. Unfortunately, that man had not yet appeared in Apojii, but within the week, the villagers' faith would rest on the shoulders of Sheth to redeem them.

The woman had just begun talking about how Sheth was easy on the eyes when Jenna first lost interest. Ironically, she had turned her attention from the islander to her "blue-haired friend," as the matchmaker called him when she noticed Jenna's disinterest in "the man who would be her soul mate." Angered by Jenna's disrespect for her sharp eye, the woman now demanded money for her services. After pushing the Valish girl into her tent as to avoid making a scene in public, the matchmaker rested her hands on her hips.

"Nine hundred and eighteen coins," the woman commanded. To this, Jenna shot her an irritated look. "The more you complain, the higher the cost. Nine hundred and eighteen coins," she repeated.

Jenna swallowed hard as she thought of how to pull herself out of this mess. _Felix will kill me if he found out I wasted our money on a matchmaking ploy. _She crossed her arms and stared the woman down, her right eyebrow raised. Finally, Jenna smirked suspiciously. _I guess the only way out is to dig deeper._

"No," Jenna arrogantly stated.

The matchmaker's eyes widened. "Surely, you must be loose with your money, girl! But if it's a game you mean to play, then have it your way. One thousand seven hundred and thirty coins."

With Jenna's consistent denial to pay, the two continued in such a manner for a minute or so until the flame user began to tire. She decided to make a move to leave the tent, but something trapped her. Looking the woman in the eye, Jenna realized that the islander's enjoyment was not rooted in greed but in an innocent exhaustion, a desire for something at which to smile. Something was draining her and left evidence of its presence in the certain sadness that lingered around her eyes and playful smile. The matchmaker might have been enjoying their game of cat and mouse, but a sheer existence of reality held back a genuine joy.

"What do you really want, anyway?" Jenna quietly asked.

Having been caught by surprise, the woman stumbled. Then, she smiled serenely. "I want you to have happiness, of course."

"No," Jenna shook her head. "That's what you want as part of your profession." _Or at least what you're meant to._ "I mean to know what you want for yourself."

The woman was silent as she looked to her right in silent recollection. It was several minutes before she whispered, "Leave." Then, she turned abruptly to face Jenna. "Leave, before I change my mind and make you pay."

"No," Jenna softly replied, but this time in concern.

The woman pleaded, "Go!" Her eyes were frenzied, and she had lost her poise. The woman became bent as if a great physical pain tormented her. She began to grope around for something sturdy on which to hold. Having found something, she inhaled and exhaled repeatedly. "I don't wish to speak of it. Just… leave my tent, girl!" she spat harshly.

"Ma'am," Jenna hesitantly muttered, afraid of the woman's unexpected behavior. "You may be stubborn, but you too are looking at it yourself. I will not leave you until you tell me what's wrong," she gulped. Her heart began to race and her knees tremble. _Get a grip! You're an Adept!_ Her psyche cried in alarm. Jenna made a fist.

The woman paused to think a while, but then gave in with a sigh. "So I see," she whispered. She found herself a chair, sat, and answered Jenna's previous question. "It's about my son, Akketch."

Jenna, captivated by the woman's sorrow, sat by the woman's feet as she spoke. Jenna remained silent as the woman, who kept her eyes focused on the floor only, told her story.

Four months ago, a ship harboring a band of pirates arrived at Apojii. The men, who acted as merchants, bought and sold goods the morning of their arrival and left before the sun went down. Then, in the late hours of the night, they pillaged the homes of the rich and fled the island. However, personal belongings were not all they took with them.

"They kidnapped my son!" the woman shouted as she suddenly shot her head up, surprising Jenna a great deal. She swallowed her anger as she hushed. "A boy of twelve…" The woman shook her head and reverted to her original position with her hands in her lap as she stared at the floor. Her hands, they quivered like a leaf in a merciless wind. She tried to hold one hand still with the other, but the tremor was contagious, as her second hand began to shake more ferociously than the first.

"H-how was he taken if he lay by your side?" Jenna stammered as she broke the silence.

"Oh." The concerned mother raised a shaking hand to her forehead. "He often woke up in the night and left our hut. He would go to the stream to relax himself. Many times I awoke to an empty mat beside me only to find my son asleep next to the stream." She laughed quietly and smiled in reminiscence. "My sweet boy."

_So by the stream is where he was most likely abducted. _Jenna breathed deeply. The woman's story shook a nerve in her that she was not certain whether she wanted shook. She sniffled as she stood up and cracked her back. Then, she remembered her quest and mentally cursed herself. _Now she'll ask me to save her kid, right? Crap. I should've just given her the money. Felix will be livid._

"What will you have me do?" Jenna asked, against her thoughts. She looked at the miserable woman with pity in her heart, and that was something she could not ignore. Felix would just have to deal with the inopportune existence of Jenna's sympathy for a while.

The woman stood and grabbed Jenna's hands. The despair that had captured her senses was now replaced by a new sense of hope, something that she had given up on only a few days ago. The concerned mother grew aware of the feebleness of her own spirit when she thought of the possibility of having hope slip through her fingers once more. With quivering lips, she asked through a slight smile, "Your party is a group of warriors, is it not? I believe it is likely you will come across these men on your travels. Please, won't you rescue my Akketch?"

"If we can, we will," Jenna replied, cautious not to make promises. "How many men were there?"

The woman stumbled as she tried to bring to mind memories of the day she had tried hard to make sense of and even to forget. Then, she came to it. "Nine, if memory suffices me well." The matchmaker smiled widely, wiping the tears away from her eyes, which were flooded with a hope that made Jenna's spirit sink.

How could she turn her down? And yet, did she not owe this woman something for her having opened her heart (and expertise, although it went unwanted) to her? Jenna swallowed hard; she was still uneasy about helping this woman so quickly. Seeing as the woman's son was kidnapped, the quest of his retrieval would demand a great price, one that Jenna was uncertain she could demand of the other Adepts, yet also one she did not believe she could pay herself. With a trickle of regretful emotion, she said, "There are only four of us."

"No, I saw five people leave your ship. You are forgetting the elder," the woman pressed.

Jenna laughed. "You mean to include Kraden? Surely, you jest!" The mere thought of Kraden thrashing a sword about seemed so droll to her. He would be lucky not to trip in his long robe.

Sternly, the woman retorted, "He must have some purpose to you if he cannot fight. Can he use magic?" By now, the islander's behavior had returned to normal. She had managed to replace her sadness with hope; only red puffy eyes remained as a reminder of her sorrow. Her eyes, too, seemed to have grown happier.

"Magic?" Jenna quickly shot back. _Does she mean psynergy?_ She almost asked, but thought better of it. "Not at all. He is our scholar." Then, slyly, Jenna returned, "Why? Do you practice magic?" When the woman nodded, Jenna smirked. "I don't believe you."

The woman grinned. "I think what you're really asking for is a demonstration. Well, what should it be? A love spell for your beloved blue-haired man, hmm?" She sneakily made her way around the table in the center of the tent. "Sit, sit!" she ordered, so Jenna sat.

"Firstly, it's 'Piers,' and secondly, no." Jenna met the unbelieving eye of the matchmaker.

The matchmaker leaned forward and looked into Jenna's cynical eyes. She sat back in place and remarked, "Oh, I see. You would rather he returned his love for you genuinely."

Jenna blushed and swallowed. She thought to lie, but one look at the proud matchmaker, and she knew she could not put anything past her. She said, "Yes, but that's not all." The woman looked at her curiously. Jenna rested her hands on the table and began to speak.

Somehow, Jenna felt safe and at home talking to this woman; within seconds, she found herself telling her story of Isaac and of the vague standing of their relationship. She explained that it was quite evident that Isaac had feelings for her, and she admitted she felt similarly. However, since neither had openly spoken about his or her feelings, Jenna vindicated her feelings for Piers by saying her romantic relationship with Isaac was merely superficial.

As the last few words passed Jenna's lips, she felt as if she had freed herself of a great burden she had been carrying alone for the past several weeks. Although she could have talked about it with Sheba, she felt rather uncomfortable about the idea, especially since the Jupiter Adept had nearly sent Jenna to her death in Madra. For obvious reasons, Piers was not an option, and Jenna thought Kraden was too old with whom to have such personal conversations. Then there was Felix. Jenna did not even care to think about what the consequences might have been if she told him about her emotional attachments.

Thus, she opened her heart to this woman, someone she had only known for about an hour. With the trust she placed in the woman's hands, Jenna received an act of assistance and premature gratitude. The matchmaker took hold of Jenna's forearms, closed her eyes, rolled back her head, and began to chant.

* * *

Thank you again SO MUCH for reading, reviewing, favorite-ing. I plan on updating about once a fortnight, if I can manage. Anyhow, I really hope you liked this chapter. I already have ideas for the next one, and in it, Jenna and Piers will have the chance to talk to each other, so that should be fun.

'Til next time, Tem.


	4. Chapter 4: Muster

Whoa, didn't I take forever to write _this_ chapter! Gosh, I'm sorry. Hope this makes up for it. Without further ado, here's Chapter 4. Do enjoy! Feel free to comment; I appreciate your appreciation (even if your comment is constructive criticism you still appreciated the story enough to review).

* * *

Chapter 4: Muster

**Apojii Islands**

The chants fell like rain, fast and heavy. Jenna could hear their sound forcefully pound in her ears like a drum. The words were foreign to her, and although she imagined their good intent, she felt a great disturbance in her core. Still, the words washed over her like waves, dragging her deep into the matchmaker's rhythmic song. From their weight, Jenna's eyes closed involuntarily.

_Mad singthi yu khuaamsao laenai hak. Singthi phuakhao ngeuonkhai sokha phuakhaooadcha aelkpian._

The witch began chanting clearly, but her speech eventually became more and more slurred. Jenna could not see it, but the witch was starting to convulse. She invoked the names of the strongest spirits she knew, spirits whom she had never invoked before. Little spells, they did not require much, but this – this was something personal, and she was willing to pay any price.

_Seuong badaeph heoananru saaedng haikhaochao kuaang, aet mad huamkan singthi phuakhao ngeuonkhai aelkpian_, she blabbered madly.

Just as the magician's eyes rolled to the back of her head, Jenna began to see, though her eyes were still closed. She saw him. He was skinny, tall, and tan. His hair was dark and to his shoulders; it was overdue for a trim, as it was falling in front of his brown eyes. Akketch was on the beach, covering his friend with wet sand. The two boys were laughing heartedly. Then, a girl came, tapped Akketch on the shoulder, and ran away. In turn, Akketch tagged his partly buried friend and followed the girl, leaving his comrade struggling to free himself from the sand and tag the others before they were long gone.

It was as if it were flowing through her veins, the happiness. There existed so much substance in the feeling, but it made Jenna feel wholly free. It tugged so hard on her zygomaticus muscles that a smile was formed, and so great it was, so great this feeling of joy, that she cried.

She felt it also, the witch. In fact, she was the wellspring of the emotion, which merely transferred from her heart to Jenna's during the incantation. The woman opened her mouth and loudly pronounced:

_Mad singthi yu khuaamsao laenai hak._

The vision of Akketch faded. In its place came one of someone whom Jenna recognized.

_Isaac!_ she thought. Her heart seemed to jump at the mental sight of him. It was quite unexpected and came as a shock to Jenna, who had not brought forth his image of her own accord. Regardless, she implored the vision for information.

_Isaac, please tell me where you are! We have travelled to so many places without sign of you._

However, the vision did not reply; Isaac still casually stood with a glint in his eyes and a half-smile on his face. Although Jenna did not realize it straight away, the vision was derived solely from her memory and could not tell her anymore than what she already knew. Once she had come to this conclusion, she decided to take a different approach. _In that case,_ Jenna wondered, _this could be an opportunity to discover what I really feel._ Thus, she spoke from her heart, hoping it would generate a reply.

_Do you know what you mean to me? _She asked with the intention to discover what her true feelings about Isaac were, neglecting her affections for Piers. This was it, was it not? It was the chance to learn the unbiased answer to her question of friend or lover.

Jenna's procured image of Isaac tilted his head. Gently, Isaac chuckled. _Don't you know?_ asked he. Jenna suddenly became worried that the vision would not reveal to her what she wished it would; yet, alas!, Isaac continued to speak.

_I, along with Garet, am your greatest friend. Since you and I were little, I've been your rock. And, although we are apart, I am still your rock, whether you know it or not._ Isaac paused as he shot Jenna an innocent smile.

The flame-user's expression fell. She averted her eyes and winced. Oh, the pain in her heart! How it swelled exceedingly at the sound of Isaac's voice – that beautiful voice. Even months from the last time Jenna had heard Isaac's voice tenderly brush across her ears, she knew it well. Then, it had filled her with such imponderable joy that not even the biggest smile could be content in its expression. Yet now, that very voice tore apart every trace of self-satisfaction that Jenna had built up with her lies.

Jenna turned to face Isaac's imitation once he began to speak again, saying, _You know you mean much to me, so much so that, if my quest did not involve protecting Weyard, I would still search for you until I found you and freed you from your captors. You know in your heart that I would rather die than see harm done to you. And so would I fight for you; I believe you would fight for me, too._ Isaac's eyes burned into Jenna. This sudden conviction seemed more to her like a question of faithfulness to her confidant.

Isaac lowered his head. _You would fight for me, wouldn't you? Perhaps if it weren't for the fellow who has replaced me in your heart._ At that, the apparition gave Jenna one last look – a look filled with despondency – turned, and solemnly walked away without as much as a muttered "good-bye".

Shattered was how Jenna felt. At the sight of Isaac's retreat, like that of a downtrodden vagabond dismissed from shelter, she felt herself tearing at the seams. The sadness that fell with each of his steps hammered into the now miserable maiden. As Jenna grew overwhelmed by it, the melancholy constructed a vision for the matchmaker. This vision worked to elicit an equal amount of pain and gloom in the woman, which it accomplished in the depiction of Akketch's corpse being returned to the lady.

Having decided she had seen enough, Jenna forced herself awake. Ripping her eyes open, she came to face a puffy-eyed version of the matchmaker. The older woman was still caught in the trance, giving Jenna the impression that this was the perfect chance to escape. The Adept struggled as she tugged her wrists out from under the magician's tight grasp; however, the more Jenna tried, the more potent the islander's fingers clasped. Finally, Jenna had had enough. In concentrating elemental fire to the area that the matchmaker was holding, the Adept found herself free in seconds.

The incessant burning sensation alerted the woman to her senses rather rapidly; her eyes shot open in time to catch her attacker pause before leaving the tent. With clenched fists, she babbled something to the effect of a warning, but it was too late, for Jenna had slipped away in search for distance between herself and the seemingly lunatic woman.

Once Jenna had stepped outside, she jammed her eyes shut. By gosh, was the sun bright! Jenna stood for several minutes covering her eyes as she exposed herself to the heat of the sun. Being a Mars Adept, Jenna had a naturally high threshold for heat. Even so, she was not accustomed to such humidity. _Just a couple more minutes, and I'll be fine,_ she thought. Then, she took her hand away from her eyes and looked to the sky and the smoldering sun with squinted eyes.

It was about four years ago when Jenna last saw a sun equally as brilliant on a day just as beautiful. She had been reading a book outside on the grass when she fell asleep. The sound of birds chirping that springtime lulled her and within minutes, she was dreaming.

"Is it _that_ boring?" came a voice from over Jenna's head. Upon opening her eyes, Jenna saw Isaac's face. His head blocked the sun in such a way that the star's rays looked as a halo around her friend's head.

Jenna laughed softly and turned her face away. As it was, Isaac was leaning over her, his face rather close to hers. "Wait, get up. I can't move," Jenna said. When all Isaac did was respond with a raised eyebrow, Jenna added, "You're too close!"

The Venus Adept smirked and moved in closer with a taunting "Is this too close?" To this, Jenna blushed very slightly, but did not oppose Isaac's wit. The girl enjoyed these rather flirtatious moments together with Isaac, and she felt unexplainably comfortable around him whenever moments such as these arose. Yet, by the time her and Isaac's noses were centimeters apart, the girl playfully pushed him off her.

The two Valish kids sat in the grass smiling and gazing at each other until Isaac broke the silence. "So, what are you reading?"

Jenna made a funny face of slight embarrassment and turned to her book, which rested behind her in the grass. She reached out for it and moved it closer to herself as she reported, "Oh, nothing really. Just some light reading."

Isaac let out a short breath of air. "Oh," he joked, "it's one of _those_ books."

Jenna shot her head around. "What kind?" she retorted.

Leaning back in the grass with his forearms supporting him, Isaac rolled his head back and looked at the clouds. He replied, "You know, one of those romance books."

Jenna bit her lip. Her eyes slowly drifted towards the direction of her book. She worked to hide her girly novel behind her back as Isaac continued. As he spoke, Jenna casually returned her eyes to him.

"Honestly, I didn't think you would read them." At that, Isaac rolled his head forward and caught Jenna's glance.

Jenna opened her mouth to lie and say something like "My friend wants my opinion on it, but I don't like it. It's stupid," but she could not lie, especially not to Isaac. In truth, she began to read the book on her own accord and enjoyed it. In love stories, she could imagine herself as the sweetheart of someone as handsome, strong, understanding, and loyal as Roy, the hero in the novel she was currently reading. Therefore, she closed her mouth and lowered her head.

Isaac laughed lightly and smiled. A gentle breeze blew spontaneously and ruffled his hair. Under the trees as he was, it was rather cool, almost chilly. So, he picked himself up and moved into the sunlight. He chose a spot next to Jenna and rested on his stomach. He supported his chin in his hand and waited for Jenna to speak.

For a moment or two, nothing was said between the two adolescents. Eventually, the silence got to Isaac, and he asked jokingly, "Were you dreaming about me?"

To this, Jenna laughed greatly. Isaac laughed too, in her company. The sight of the girl's face reddening from so much amusement elicited this. Yet, his snorts subsided to merely a grand smile, which arose from the sight of Jenna's happiness. Isaac thought of her beauty, one so intensified only by the smile and giggles that she fully presented before him. Life, he believed, could never be as perfect as this day was. It was spring, and he and his best friend were basking in the gentle glow of the sun on a field of pretty daisies, yet no more stunning than Jenna was.

"What makes you think I was dreaming about you?" said Jenna, her eyes twinkling.

"Well, considering you were reading a romance novel, you must've been thinking about some love of yours. Seeing as there's a fifty-fifty percent chance it was either Garet or me, I'd like to know. So," Isaac smirked, "was it me?"

Jenna smiled playfully. "I'm not telling."

"But, do! You know I don't like secrets."

"It's true; you don't."

"So then, tell me."

"I shan't."

"Are you afraid of hurting my feelings?" asked Isaac with an eyebrow raised.

"Perhaps."

"So it was Garet."

"Maybe." This time, Jenna raised her eyebrow mysteriously.

"So it was _me_," Isaac smiled.

"Mmmm, I dunno about that," Jenna joked.

"That's it!" Isaac leaned back and chuckled. "It was me!"

"No it wasn't!" Jenna made a move to protect herself, but it was a little too late. Isaac had already run away like a child, his face beaming with joy. He turned his head back every once and a while to see if Jenna would follow him, and follow she did. In truth, she really had been dreaming about…

Jenna gasped.

While she was daydreaming about her past, she had been strolling around town mindlessly with her head down. Piers had noticed her and called out to her, but she did not hear him, for she was deep in thought. Now, she stood in the middle of the village with her hand in his and her mind back in the present.

"Jenna, did you not hear me calling you?" asked Piers.

The girl had stopped moving. Caught in shock, she only stared at whatever was directly before her. Before long, however, she snapped back into reality from the feel of someone else's skin and the ensuing goose bumps that crept up her arm. She spun herself around, her hand still in Piers', and saw the Lemurian. His yellow eyes mesmerized her.

Piers looked concerned. "Are you all right?" he implored.

Jenna blinked. "Sure, just." She forced a half-smile. "What's up?"

"I've finished looking about. I would like to speak with you, if you've the time."

The flame-user swallowed hard. _What could he want to talk about? No, that couldn't be it,_ she thought in response to her fear the Piers was about to confess some hidden love for her. She clenched her free fist and closed her eyes. _For Isaac, I must…_ Yet, her hand remained comfortably in Piers'.

"I was actually going to find my brother, ask what our plans are." Jenna's eyes dropped to her enveloped hand. With some effort, she managed to pull it out of its embrace. Looking to Piers' face, she saw his saddened expression; her heart sank.

"Well," he brushed it off, "suppose you help me find Sheba, then?"

"It's the least I could do."

The two friends set off in search for the Jupiter Adept and found her only moments later. Sheba was resting in the shade of a palm tree, fanning herself to keep cool. She smiled when Jenna and Piers approached.

"So you finally asked him, eh?" Sheba sang when the others came near.

"Asked me what?" Piers looked at Jenna, who was turning red from embarrassment and anger, questioningly.

"Yeah, what _did_ I ask him, Sheba?" Jenna rested her hand on her hip accusingly. She turned to her right to see Piers' expression. Luckily, for her, his detachment from the obvious made him completely oblivious to the fact that Sheba was calling Jenna out on her affections for the Lemurian. In seeing his confusion, Jenna allowed her temper to cool. "If you read my mind, you'll find I'm telling the truth."

Sheba sighed. "Not necessary. So," she cooed, "what'd you need?"

"I have long since finished wandering," replied Piers, "and I would like to see the shoreline. Jenna has business with Felix, so you are my last hope."

Sheba sat up abruptly. "Of course I'll go, but really, Jenna. Whatever 'business' you have with Felix can wait, can't it?" She pouted and begged, "C'mon! Let's see the beach!"

"Well…," Jenna began. She turned and faced the sea, the salty air blowing gently through her hair. Before her, Piers smiled delicately. "Perhaps —,"

"— Great!" Sheba chimed in. "I'm sure Felix will understand," she said with a wink. Then, Sheba stood, grabbed Jenna and Piers' hands, and ran in the direction of the ocean, laughing.

Minutes after the three reached the shore, they waded into the water and relaxed in the sand. As he admired the gorgeous weather and blue sky, Piers thought back to his childhood. When he was a boy, his mother would take him to the ocean to enjoy the refreshing water and swim. He would jump from the grassy cliff into the welcoming waves of the sea, screaming delightfully all the way down. But that is a story for another time. Right now, Piers was thinking of how Jenna could figure into that memory.

…

Felix stepped out of the inn, cracked his back, and made his way around the town in search for his peers. He was about to turn the corner when the sound of raucous voices caught his attention. _Is that… Jenna?_ He stopped abruptly and waited to hear the shouts again. Nodding, he turned and walked in the direction of the noise.

Stopping at the edge of the town, just before the beach began, he looked onward to the faces of his allies. The girls were splashing each other and laughing hysterically; Piers was trying to keep himself out of the line of friendly fire, but was rather unsuccessful.

_Guess nobody thought to invite me_, Felix grunted to himself. He sighed and lowered his head. _Of course not; I'm a killjoy, aren't I?_ He brushed his hair away as he raised his face to the sky. A few seagulls flew overhead. Felix smiled, _They're so free on the wind, so free and without care. If only…,_ he clenched his fists, _if only I could be so lucky._ He turned his face away and looked to the ground. _We should get moving, before the sun is low._

Felix approached the shore and called out to his comrades, ushering them to the inn. Once there, the party of four met with Kraden and ate dinner over a conversation of what they had each discovered. As it was, Apojii's popularity was due in part for the island to the south, namely Aqua Island. Said island is guarded by several moai statues. According to island tradition, young boys participate in a coming of age ceremony, which comprises swimming from Apojii's shore to the distant southern island. It is believed that the Man of Great Fortune will be granted passage by the moai to the core of the sanctuary, in which is hidden precious jewels — or so the Apojii say.

"So we mean to leave by morning to search this place," Felix said. "Yet, I'm not sure how we intend to enter."

"I do." Piers immediately caught the attention of the group. "Several villagers pointed out the teardrop stone as a kind of key. I took the liberty in examining it; almost needless to say, it reacted to my psynergy." Piers frowned slightly and said, "I'm still unsure if I was successful. I suppose we will have to go to this island and see for ourselves."

"What do you mean by 'it reacted," Piers?" questioned Sheba. "Did it glow or something?"

Piers chuckled lightly. "No, a mist formed around the stone. I, too, was engulfed by the fog. When I stepped out of it, I experienced an unexplainable gravitational tug in the direction of the stone."

"Sounds promising," cheered Jenna.

Felix, now armed with more elaborate maps (thanks to a group of travelers that he met at the inn hours before), made plans for the group to leave after resting aboard the ship for the night. The Adepts shared their excitement. Whatever lay in the pit of Aqua Island would be theirs for the keeping, so as long as they could get their hands on it!

"Hey, Piers," Sheba whispered. "What if this island held a treasure similar to the one Air's Rock guarded?" Piers furrowed his brow as Sheba continued. "If I'm right, whatever _is_ inside must be for you, since you're a Mercury Adept. Makes sense, doesn't it?"

…

**Piers' Ship**

That night, as the Adepts were entering their chambers and saying their goodnights, Piers pulled Kraden aside. Jenna's image was fresh in his mind, as it had been all day since a villager commented on the flame-user's beauty. How true it was, a fact the Lemurian could not shake from his mind. As he gazed upon her countenance, he asked himself, _How long has it been since I've come across a lady of equal strength and beauty? Years, surely, and even then, I have not felt as I do now. What is it, this uneasiness I feel? Whatever its origin, of ill or good, it must not carry on; it distances me from my cognizant mind._

"Master Sage," Piers whispered once the others had gone to their rooms, "there is something that troubles me. You are wise in years, I know, and might understand. If I could but have an hour —."

Kraden raised his hand as if in protest. _I'd have thought as much,_ he thought, smirking. "No more. Come away and we will talk awhile."

* * *

And so I leave you all with Piers expressing his feelings for Jenna. How grand.

Anyway, thanks for reading, commenting, favorite-ing and the like. I hope you'll forgive me for taking forever on this chapter. In short, school is like a black hole to my time.

As always - Tem


	5. Chapter 5: Expression

Hey, everyone! Glad to see you reading. Just wanna say how much I appreciate your appreciation. It's because of you, readers, that I continue to write. I hope you're enjoying the story so far. Here's chapter five!

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Chapter 5: Expression

**Piers' Ship**

Piers and Kraden settled themselves in the ship's saloon and sipped some tea, which they had acquired from Apojii, as the other passengers prepared themselves for bed. Once all was quiet on deck, the two began to speak openly.

The Lemurian cradled the warm mug in between his hands as if heat were needed to keep warm in the Apojii Islands. He looked down at his reflection on the surface of the beverage as he whispered, "I feel I cannot bring myself to take her off of my mind. I know it is wrong; I have more to think about than a girl I hardly know, a girl who probably does not think of me the same way. Yet, I would feel guilty for banishing her from my thoughts. What is this malady?" Piers looked up. An expression of worry that almost mimicked a childish innocence washed his face. "Master Sage, tell me. Will this pass?"

The old man, who sat across the table from Piers, chuckled. "You speak of your feelings as if they are a disease!" Then, noticing the still serious expression on Piers' face, Kraden sighed and remarked, "Haven't you felt this way before?"

Piers shrugged. "I… I cannot remember." He furrowed his brow and lowered his head, returning his concentration to his image in the tea. "I suppose there was a girl who affected me similarly. However," Piers paused to bring his mug to his lips, "I do not recall feeling as I do now." Then, Piers sipped his tea deeply. He swallowed and closed his eyes, pleased with the taste and ease of the tea gliding down his throat, like a liquid medicine to alleviate his worries.

Kraden seemed puzzled. _How could he not remember? Young as he is, he is in his prime. If there was a girl, she must have been an interest of his only a few years ago._

The Mercury Adept seemed to know exactly what questions were formulating in Kraden's head. Piers looked at the scholar head-on, as if he were driving the answer into the man's forehead. Suddenly, it seemed to have clicked, and Piers smiled.

Kraden raised his eyebrows in exclamatory recognition. _Of course! Babi was able to live as long as he did because he drank of the Lemurian fountain! Thus, it is probable that Piers is several years older than he looks, perhaps even fifteen years older._ He grunted pleasingly and sat back in his chair, curiously regarding Piers' visage for signs of age, but he found none. Clearing his throat, Kraden said, "Be that as it may, what do you plan to do about said feelings?"

"I was actually hoping you could help me there," replied Piers. "I find her both a distraction to me as well as a blessing. Additionally, since her brother is our commander, I feel any kind of unprofessional relationship with her would be —."

"Improper," Kraden finished, nodding his head.

"Quite."

"I assume you have not spoken to _him_ about this?" asked Kraden, going along with the "no names" policy that Piers had begun.

"The thought has crossed my mind, but I cannot execute the idea. I do not feel it is my place. It would only strain our relationship and his ability to lead if he permits me to act on my feelings against his will, or if he prohibits me." Piers sighed as he gazed mindlessly at the floor. "These feelings will not subside. I am not sure what to do any longer." His eyes moved swiftly to glance at Kraden.

The scholar folded his hands. "Have you tried to tell _her_ how you feel?"

"Master Sage, it is not that simple. Under other circumstances, I probably would somehow try to express my feelings to her, but it is her brother. You see," admitted Piers, "I find it unjust to take her out from under his nose. He is our commander. If no relationship between her and me should form, then I will not let it happen, regardless of what I feel." He paused for a few seconds before adding, "Our primary concern is the quest. If our now hypothetical relationship would get in the way, then it should wait until it is appropriate."

A long, uncomfortable paused ensued as the two men contemplated Piers' situation: Kraden tried to think of a clear way to solve the predicament as Piers thought over what he had said and what else he needed to get off his chest, if anything at all. During this break in conversation, the men, avoiding looking directly at each, drank their tea quietly, so as not to disturb the silence of each other's thoughts. Yet, when both mugs were drained of the exotic beverage, they both knew what was to come. Kraden cleared his throat first.

"The only course of action I see available to you is to talk to _him_ and address him with your situation. I understand he can be somewhat…," Kraden paused and sighed, probing for the correct word, "intimidating, but perhaps if you relate to him your sense of duty, he will not look so ruthlessly on you."

Piers inhaled and exhaled deeply. _Of course. There is no way around it._

…

Once the girls had prepared for bed and had crept under the covers, they began to talk to one another. After a few minutes into one conversation, Sheba realized that she could not hold in her secret anymore. In truth, it was not really her secret, but since she had discovered it, she laid claim to keep it.

"Jenna, there's something I have to tell you," Sheba whispered sharply.

Jenna, who had been lying on her back, immediately sat up and looked towards the dark outline of the Jupiter Adept in the next bed. She asked hesitantly, "What is it?"

Sheba, too, sat up in bed. Throwing her legs over the side, she answered, "Someone has feelings for you!" She giggled childishly.

The flame-user paused briefly. _Could it be… Piers?_ Her heart was beating rapidly. _Wait_, she sighed, _this is Sheba telling me this._ "Don't be so childish. If you mean to say something, say it in its entirety. Who is it?" she nearly demanded.

As Sheba paused for dramatic effect, Jenna could hear her heart pounding. Her stomach felt so uneasy, and a slight chill went over her body. Her hands were sweating.

"Well, of course it's Piers, silly! Who else would it be?" Sheba laughed lightly. "No, really, I swear it! Did you see him take Kraden aside soon after we boarded?" To Jenna's nod, she continued, "He wanted to talk to him about _you_!"

Jenna smiled. _Piers likes me!_ But then, she remembered. _Isaac…_ "Are you sure, Sheba?"

"Yeah. I overheard them."

"We were in our room when they started talking."

"Well, maybe I have good hearing. Ever thought of that?"

"Hold on," Jenna held her hand out as if to stop the conversation thus far. "All Piers said was that he wanted to talk to Kraden; he didn't say why."

"Maybe you weren't listening, then."

"Sheba, you didn't, did you?"

"Didn't what?"

"You know what I mean," Jenna said definitively.

Sheba exhaled and lowered her head. _Why does she always have to call me out on this?_ Sheba asked herself.

Having received her answer, Jenna abruptly stood up and hollered, "SHEBA!"

"Come on, Jenna!" the girl fired back. "It's a trait! Why shouldn't I use it?"

"Because Piers is our ally; he's our partner. You don't mind read people who trust you, Sheba."

"But if I hadn't, I'd never have known that Piers likes you so much! Really, it's driving him mad!"

Jenna hesitated to make a remark. _So, it's true. He really does like me. Well, he does an awful job of showing it._ She exhaled and allowed her temper to cool. Sitting back down on her bed, she rested her elbows on her knees and her face in her cupped hands.

"Ha!" exclaimed Sheba, "Knew that would change your mind." Then, noticing Jenna's discomfort, she sat beside her. "If it makes you this upset, I won't mind read anyone of us five again. I promise."

Jenna let out a short breath of air and smiled slowly. "That's not it, but I swear I'll hold you to it." She turned to face a questioning Sheba. "What am I supposed to do now? I'd just decided not to pursue Piers, because I would stay true to Isaac. But now… circumstances are different, aren't they?"

Tears silently flowed from Jenna's sad eyes and dripped down into her palms. Memories of that first night on the ship flooded her mind. Jenna jammed her eyes shut and wiped her tears away. Sniffling, she raised her face to the heavens. "Why… why must it be so hard to choose? And once chosen, so hard to be steadfast?"

Sheba inhaled deeply. "I'm sorry. I thought you'd be glad." She gave Jenna a hug, nuzzling her face next to the Mars Adept's shoulder. "He hasn't said anything to you yet. Maybe, if you were mean to him, he'd change his mind?"

"No, I couldn't do that. It could cause a rift in our capability to function as a team," wept Jenna. "It would hurt him, as it would greatly hurt me."

For a few minutes, the girls sat in disturbing silence, save the sound of Jenna catching herself from weeping too loudly. Finally, Jenna had relaxed completely and started up conversation between herself and the girl at her side.

"Sheba, have you ever been in love?"

The blonde winced. "Y-yeah, I have. Why?"

"Whatever happened?" Jenna took in account Sheba's uneasy expression. "I'm just curious. You know my situation with guys; I know nothing about yours."

Sheba sighed and lay down on Jenna's bed, staring at the ceiling as she spoke. "I suppose you've earned it."

The flame-user smiled. _She's being so nice. It's rather pleasant._ She, too, lay back on her bed as Sheba disclosed her story.

"Now, you have to understand something first. Due to the circumstances of how I came to live in Lalivero, everyone revered me as some kind of goddess."

"Wait — what?" Jenna questioned.

Sheba sighed. "When I was a baby, I fell from the sky to the ground below. I was discovered by villagers from Lalivero, where I was later raised by Faran," she said rather quickly, anxious to continue her story. "Anyway, there was this boy who lived in the village. His name was Bowen. I came to know him from running a few errands in town for Faran. He was so sweet."

Sheba paused as she resurrected memories of Bowen. She used to mock the way his brown hair would always cover his face. "You really need to cut your hair!" she would say. "I'll get a knife and cut it for you, Bowen!" In truth, however, she loved his overgrown mess, and when he returned to her merely days after with freshly cut hair, she wept. "How could you do this, Bowen?"

"I really liked him. He was honest, funny, and charming, not to mention reliable. He was everything I could ever hope to have, but there was one thing wrong with him." Sheba shed a tear as she thought about it all. "I'd have sworn he loved me! The way he acted around he, he was just so kind and consideration of my feelings. However, his affection wasn't real. He was only guided by everyone's obsession with me, the 'Child of the Gods'!"

Sheba cried hysterically. Jenna tried to soothe her as best she could, but the young Jupiter Adept continued to weep. Through her tears, she choked, "I'd never been so angry for being admired as a deity in my life! I just wanted him to love me for who I was, not what everyone saw me as! Why couldn't he do that for me? I did it for him!"

Jenna lay beside the distressed Sheba, rubbing the girl's arm gently as she handed her a handkerchief with which to dry to eyes. Jenna thought to herself what pain Sheba had been hiding all along. _What that must feel like,_ Jenna thought_, I can scarcely comprehend. Poor girl._

…

Moments before, as Jenna was hollering at Sheba for having read Piers' mind, Felix sat up erect. He had been sleeping peacefully, dreaming about chilling snow covering a mountainside. He was enjoying the scenery as he hugged… Well, what does it matter what Felix dreamed, yeah?

Felix sat motionless, wondering whether he should see what the matter was, but the shouting subsided, and he decided to go back to sleep — only the need of rest had left him.

"Perfect," Felix muttered to himself. "Now what?"

He turned his head towards the right and let his eyes glaze over his possessions, which sat on his bedside table. He reached out his hand and grasped a medium-sized metal container. He brought it to himself, and then he paused before opening it. Inside were several purple flowers, still attached to long stems with many leaves. Setting the container on his bed, Felix picked one of the flowers out and brought it to his nose. He closed his eyes as he inhaled the flower's aroma.

"A flower sweet as she is sweet, beautiful as she is beautiful, and as necessary to me as she is," Felix whispered under his breath. Then, coming to his senses, he put the flower back in its case, closed the container, and returned it to his table with a half-hearted smile. Finally, he laid his head on his pillow and drifted off to sleep with the vision of his girl in his mind.

* * *

Oh, my, who could she be? You know, I was looking over everything that happens in this chapter and realized that this was one heavy night!

Anyhow, thank you all for reading, following, favorite-ing, and reviewing. Each of these show me how much this story means to you. I hope it can shine a light on the dismal period of waiting for another GS game to come out.

As always, Tem


	6. Chapter 6: Remembrance

Woah, so much love. Thanks all for reading and enjoying! For you, I wrote this in practically one day. So, here we are! It's Chapter 6!

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Chapter 6: Remembrance

**Piers' Ship**

It was a struggle. The sweet caress of sleep can have such a medicinal effect on one's body and mind. For Jenna, however, sleep came in the form of a malignant nightmare, battling with her sanity and the previous peace of mind she had acquired when she first put her head upon her pillow that night. The struggle ensued between Jenna's desire to wake up and the lurid cries of her sleep-deprived mind to stay asleep. Even so, Jenna forced herself up.

Sitting upright in bed at some wicked hour, Jenna tried to catch her breath. Her hair, now damp with sweat, clung to her back like she did the bed post while she slowly crept out of bed and got to her feet. Jenna made her way to the window, where she stopped. With the soft moonlight as her candle, she brought her forearms into the light for inspection. As Jenna was dreaming, her forearms had burned like a merciless fire. Now, with the moon as her witness, she had her answer.

For two hours, Jenna sat beside the wall, trying to keep her mind busy so as to prevent herself from slipping into sleep once more; seeing that intimidating face once was enough for her. By that time, the sun was beginning to rise, and Jenna detected motion in the room over but one. Leaving her room, Jenna went to wait in the corridor for her brother.

Of course, the first to leave the men's cabin was Piers. Upon seeing Jenna as distressed as she was, he felt prompted to ask her of her current state.

"Good morning, Jenna," he said to be polite. "Are you all right? You seem…," he paused momentarily, scouring his mind for one of the new expressions he had learned from Felix, "off this day."

Jenna, who was not particularly interested in small talk at the moment, curtly retorted, "I didn't sleep well. Nothing to worry about." Before Piers could notice the state of Jenna's forearms, she moved her arms behind her back.

Piers furrowed his brow. "If you're tired, why don't you return to your bed to sleep more?"

She sighed audibly, "You don't understand. I can't."

"Do you suffer from insomnia?"

"No, that's not it. I just need to talk to my brother."

"Felix is making himself decent. He should be awhile," Piers replied as he nonchalantly leaned on the closed door behind him. "If you wish, you may talk to me."

"No thanks," Jenna huffed. "I'll wait."

Wishing not to press the girl (or test her patience), Piers made his way past her. When he reached the end of the hallway, he paused and turned to observe Jenna's countenance once more. _Perhaps she wishes to speak to Felix about me,_ he thought almost selfishly. _Why else would she keep something from me?_ Then, shaking his head, Piers brushed the thought away, not wishing to perk up hopes of some near future that he and Jenna might share. Besides, he had not even decided how to approach Felix on the matter of his feelings.

…

Felix sat on the edge of his bed as he rubbed his temples. Then, he lifted his head and looked into his sister's troubled face. Quietly, and to Jenna's discomfort, he whispered, "Why didn't you ask me first?" There was a certain note of hurt in Felix's voice, as one of a young boy, discarded and forgotten by his friends. It slipped out of his mouth without his intent, and once Felix noticed it, the hairs on the back of his neck stood upright. Quickly, he stole a glance at his sister. It was too late; the damage had been done.

Jenna, though wanting to drop the subject and ask Felix whether he was proper or not, murmured, "I couldn't. I was caught in the moment." She bit her lip hesitantly. "Besides, I was—,"

"Emotionally attached, right?" Felix added. The look in Jenna's eye was more than enough proof of her guilt on the matter.

With a moment's pause, Jenna asked, "Will you help her?"

Felix sighed deeply. "I wish you had asked me before."

"I couldn't! I told you!" she shot back quickly, but without intent to argue, only to defend herself.

Her brother held up a hand in protest, "I know." He then stood up. "If you had, I would have allowed it." He was honest; Felix was rather inclined to helping those in need of help. After all, he would have been dead if it were not for Saturos and Menardi's aid. True, he sometimes cursed them for it, but still he lived to see better days. "And now, considering the circumstances, I see no way around it anyhow."

"So you'll do it then?" With pleading eyes, she asked.

"If it is as you say—."

"I swear! The witch appeared in my dream last night and told me so!" Tears began to well up in Jenna's eyes. She turned sharply and raised a quivering hand to her face in a childish effort to hide her pain from Felix.

Of course, this did not go without notice. Felix thought to move in and console her but decided against it. What did he know to do? "I still don't understand what she meant by your 'sharing the favor.' If you render her happiness, happiness you will share. The same, too, with sorrow. But how can she meddle with your future?" For minutes, Jenna remained wordless as she concentrated on halting oncoming tears. Then, "Jenna, you need to help me out here."

The flame-user inhaled deeply. To her embarrassment, she answered with an honest, "She is a matchmaker. I told her my troubles."

_You must be joking_. Not knowing how to follow up Jenna's response, Felix withdrew to the window. Softly, he spoke. "We will all help you and the mother. However, I will not make special trips because of the matter; we make headway for Jupiter Lighthouse. Chances are we will see this pirate ship anyhow, at which time we will make plans to rescue Akketch." Felix lowered his head and gazed into his empty palms. _These hands may soon not need be so lonely. But we must make way to Jupiter quickly, then._

The young woman thanked him. Then, stretching out her arms, she asked him, "Think you can do something about these marks?"

These were the witnesses to her pain: two medium sized curse marks on her forearms. They reposed in approximately the same place where the matchmaker had gripped onto Jenna while she made her incantation. These marks had only appeared early that morning, probably during the nightmare, Jenna guessed.

Felix inspected the black ovular marks. Their design was intricate, weaving what could have been two lines together. At the center of the marks was another intricate knot. He shrugged. "Haven't got a clue. I can ask Kraden, if you want me to."

"No, thanks," Jenna said, pulling her arms away. "I'd rather not have anyone else worrying about them." _I could always just creep around his room for a book or something, anyway._

Felix laughed gently as he rolled his eyes. "Have it your way. Just be careful about rummaging through his things; I swear he memorizes the exact placement of every book and scroll in his room."

Jenna's eyebrows shot up and her cheeks flushed. Her brother laughed. "Don't think I don't know you that well."

At that, Jenna smirked. She threw herself into her brother's arms. "Thanks, bro."

Taken by surprise, Felix stood awkwardly for a few seconds before returning the hug. _A hug. So this is what it feels like._ "Yeah, yeah. Sure thing, Jen."

Jen. At that title, Jenna's ears perked up. It was the first time Felix had called her by her nickname since their reunion. She closed her eyes cheerfully and hugged her brother a little tighter. _There he is!_ she thought. _A small hint of the old Felix._ Then, feeling she was making her brother uncomfortable, Jenna released him and took a few steps back. She turned on her heel and commenced walking to the door. Suddenly, she stopped. _This might be the only chance I get_.

"Felix," she began tentatively. The warrior looked at her kindly, a smile across his face. "How are you doing?"

"How do you mean?" questioned Felix.

"Well, it seems to me that you've been a little rough on us all since Madra. Today, you seem… chipper." Jenna appeared rather innocent ask she spoke. "What's gotten into you?"

Felix exhaled softly and averted his eyes, hoping his sister would not press him further.

"Felix," Jenna said, her voice hovering on the still air. "You can tell me."

The Venus Adept sat down on his bed with his back to his sister. _I can't tell Jenna about her._ "What in particular?"

Jenna sighed annoyingly. "You really can't see it?" She moved to sit beside her brother. "You're so intimidating; nobody wants to dare talk to you. I know Piers doesn't take it well."

_So this is about Piers. Well, that's a relief_, thought Felix.

"In the least," Jenna continued, "Sheba and I have got each other, but there's only so much Piers can relate to Kraden. He wants to get along, but you're so standoffish."

"Standoffish?" he echoed. "Is that how it comes across? No." Felix stood and turned to face Jenna. He swallowed and lowered his glance. "I'm jealous of him."

"Jealous? What are you talking about?" Jenna scoffed.

Felix made a fist and paused for several seconds to collect his thoughts. "A tidal wave strips him from his home, his family, and tosses him into this new world. Is he upset about it?"

"Well, he probably —."

"Does he ever think about how this might affect his family?"

"I'm cert—."

"He's never said anything. And we share a room; I know about all the trash he cares to talk about: the sky, boats, fish, food. He's just so lucky. It's like none of this fazes him."

"Fel—."

"So maybe he hides it all, and maybe he is hurting, but he still has something I don't!"

Finally, Felix paused long enough to let Jenna speak. Even so, she almost did not want to say anything, for there was such anger and resentment in Felix's eyes. Still, she was closest to him, so if someone was going to coerce him and get away with it, it was going to be her, and she knew it. "And what is that?"

Felix leaned forward as if to tell a secret. "He has a home to return to. Me?" He scoffed and leaned back again, returning to his original position. "Vale is my mausoleum. I'm a traitor, and after this is all over, I have nowhere to go."

Jenna sighed. "Felix, come off it. We'll explain the whole ordeal when we get back there. I'm sure Garet's granddad will vouch for us."

He shook his head. "No, you can live there with Mom and Dad, but I can't. I'll probably stay in Prox, where at least I know I am trusted."

"Oh, yeah? And what would you do there?"

He thought of saying it, spilling his plans. In truth, he almost did, but there came a knock on the door and a call to breakfast that stopped him in his tracks. It was better that way; his dreams were, after all, based solely on aspirations.

A few minutes later, Jenna had her hand on the doorknob, ready to leave. Over her shoulder, she called, "Please know that you don't know what troubles Piers might return home to. Just… Forget it, Felix. Try to think about us every once and a while. Whatever is bothering you might soon fix itself, and it might not. But right now, you have a troop of Adepts to manage and a quest to complete." With that, she was gone, leaving nothing but a swish of her long hair as she passed through the door.

Felix remained motionless.

…

**Aqua Rock**

The Venus Adept arrived late to breakfast, and even then, he ate very little and drank one cup of tea as he leaned on the counter and remained mute. The remainder of the group thought this rather strange of him, but no one dared ask why he was being so reclusive.

It did not take long for the party to push off from shore and head south. According to Kraden, they would reach Aqua Island within a few days or sooner if they hurried. Surprisingly, it did not take too long. "Perhaps it is due to a syncing of psynergetic energy," Kraden had suggested. "I think she's just glad to be free in the water," Piers added. Whatever the explanation, there was no overseeing the fact that Piers' ship was just gliding through the water like silk.

To the half-surprise and relief on the party of Adepts, the entrance was open. Enchanted by the allure of Aqua Rock, they each ran in and gawked at the beauty of the Apojii sacred grounds. As usual, a beast appeared before long, tearing them away from their collective pause.

It took some time for the party to reach the core of the Rock, but when they did, they realized the worth of their struggles. Piers' new psynergy seemed rather impressive, not to mention rare; Felix could not even recall Alex being able to mimic Parch's effects.

Only seconds after Piers tested his new psynergy, he looked to Jenna and said, "I suppose you won't have to drink the water away, now."

_Oh my goodness. He didn't just… oh, he definitely did. _Jenna turned a deep red from the embarrassment of Piers' allusion to the first night on the ship that they had spent together. Her eyes darted around rapidly, trying to ascertain the reactions of her friends. Luckily, they were all too dazed by Piers' use of a contraction.

…

**Piers' Ship**

When the party returned to the ship, they discovered Kraden in the common room with several open scrolls and maps all around him. Upon seeing their confusion and concern, he said, "I have been plotting our course for our next destination. It seems that there is a village southwest from here by the name of Yallam. According to the supplementary notes on this map," — Kraden pointed to a map by his left — "it is also a town of pearl divers. Pearl diving! Can you imagine what youths do nowadays?" He chuckled heartily.

Jenna and Felix exchanged glances. Their hearts began to pound ferociously at the thought of what pearl diving might attract to the town.

"Cool!" Sheba cried, perking up the mood a bit. "When do we leave?"

"Don't be so hasty, Sheba! Your friends are worn from your expedition in Aqua Rock, which, by the way, I reckon went well?"

Felix came forward. "It did, thank you. We have acquired a new psynergy."

"Ah, and one associated with Mercury, no doubt." Kraden smiled and looked at Piers. "Well, what is it? The ability to send rain down from the heavens?" he joked.

"Master Sage," Piers answered, "it's called Parch and can evaporate small, localized concentrations of water."

"How intriguing!" the old scholar responded. He stood up and rubbed his eyes. "Felix, unless there is something you would like to say, I beg for your dismissal."

The commander inhaled sharply. "Actually…" Felix then unraveled the story that Jenna had relayed to him only a few days ago, cutting out irrelevant information. He laid out his plans on how he wished to deal with the pirate situation and explicitly made it known that he did not wish to set out looking for them. Considering the background of their next destination, it seemed it would hardly be necessary. Felix was particularly adamant on his desire to reach Jupiter Lighthouse quickly.

"But Felix," Sheba implored, "rushing won't be of much help to anybody."

The Venus Adept did not particularly feel like arguing, but he could feel anger rising at Sheba's questioning his decisions. He caught his sister's glance, and swallowed his pride. "The sooner we can get there, the sooner we can deal with Isaac and company, and the sooner we can free the Valish prisoners by lighting Mars Lighthouse and continue with the rest of our lives." He purposely refused to refer to the prisoners as his parents and his old friend's father for the sake of keeping them faceless. It was less painful speaking about it that way. Felix formed his hands into fists.

Piers chimed in. "I'm with Sheba. I understand your desire for a speedy conclusion to this quest, but you must also think about the impending ruin with Isaac and his company. We must all be prepared to fight them, it the time comes."

"Felix," Jenna added delicately, "they have a point. Mom, Dad, and Isaac's father can manage, I'm sure. They have each other. This whole quest is still a journey, and we have to scour the land to make sure we have the materials necessary to accomplish this task, whether they are weapons, new psynergy, or knowledge."

He shuddered at the mention of his parents. "Fine" was all he said.

"Excellent," Kraden yawned. "So it's no haste to the lighthouse, only to sleep tonight." Kraden rubbed his sore back, said his goodnights, and left.

One by one, the others filed out of the room. Eventually, Piers and Felix were the only two remaining. The Lemurian had thought to ask Felix about Jenna that night, but seeing how the young man was in a disagreeable mood, he declined and dismissed himself after wishing Felix a good night.

Alone again was he. The teenager was dismayed, torn between desire and duty. He sighed. When would he just be able to relax? His feet had long since felt so eager to move, to take him to his next destination. Yet, once there, they were eager again to move him. That movement pulled him like metal to a magnet, dragging him by the tail until the day when he rests in the comfort of a mind at peace.

Irritation was his right-hand man, carrying him through his days, accompanying them when he felt alone. Solitude should have been something with which he was comfortable, but she had made a place in his heart, like a nesting bird. She flew away from him, leaving his heart cold, his hands empty, and the place between his arms and his body hollow. She was gone from him, but she was not gone from his mind, which resurrected her continually. His lips, where she had once kissed him sweetly with tears in her eyes, quivered. Where was she, his bird?

He coughed into his hand, now splattered with blood.

* * *

I hope no one was particularly looking forward to what was going to happen at Aqua Rock. I figured, since the main point of this story is the romance between Jenna and Piers, adventures in the caves would not help to carry on the plot much. So I kinda cut it all out. Thought it would help keep the flow.

Anyhow, thank you so much for reading, reviewing, following, and favorite-ing! Really, THANK YOU! I hope I've got you hooked well.

If you're terribly confused with whatever's going on, just roll with it. It will be cleared up eventually.

Feel free to ponder what's going on with Felix. That poor troubled man!

- Tem


	7. Chapter 7: Astounded

Hello! Before I leave you to it, I'd like to thank everyone who's been reading and reviewing for their show of appreciation. It really means alot to me, especially when it comes time for me to write a new chapter. Finally, here is the seventh chapter: Astounded.

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Chapter 7: Astounded

**Piers' Ship**

The party was not asleep for long before Piers pulled the ship from its mooring and set sail for Yallam. As Kraden and the Adepts ate breakfast in the kitchen, Felix pardoned himself and took his meal on deck to keep Piers, who had risen and eaten several minutes ago, company. Felix had pulled up a stool from indoors and sat himself upon it as he ate. Piers eyed him nervously.

_Perhaps now, if I ease into it,_ he thought to himself. He cleared his throat and thought to say something, only nothing easily came to mind. Then came something, though he was not certain it would help him achieve his purpose. Even so, seeing Jenna distressed as she was some days ago disturbed him. As her party member, it would only be natural to question Felix is she were doing well, would it not? Her brother would not take it offensively, then destroying any chance Piers had to swerve the conversation in the direction that he wanted it to go, would he?

"How are you?"

Piers blinked into awareness. Felix had stolen his thunder.

"Sorry?"

The Venus Adept shifted on his stool, trying to find a more comfortable position. Having found one, he asked, "What's on your mind?" Felix raised some food to his mouth.

The Lemurian shifted around on his feet in discomfort; he was not accustomed to Felix asking him personal questions. Sure, this was not the typical idea of "personal," but such was Felix's way. Usually, it was Piers who began with such questions; Felix, on the other hand, would ask more standard questions: "Do you like catfish?" for instance.

Piers sighed. His window of opportunity could not have been clearer. He began, "Have you ever had affections for a girl before?"

Felix raised his head sharply in curiosity, himself in mid-chew. He lowered his eyes; his stomach lurched and his hand twitched slightly. "I have," he muttered.

"I do believe I am afflicted with such affections. Felix," Piers said slowly, "I want you to understand one thing before I continue. Do not hesitate to object to my request; should you refuse, I shall take it well. I am accustomed to putting aside such feelings."

"What are you getting at?"

Piers shook his head. "Tell me you would not hesitate to deny me."

"I won't." Felix paused. For a few minutes, silence hung between the two men. Then, "You have my word, Piers."

"Good." Piers lowered his gaze to the waters before him and thought of home. He was free for it, now. He could finally have something only dreams could have given him if he were back at Lemuria. Things were so different here. What a blessing that storm was, taking him sooner than anticipated.

Finding his courage, Piers finally let the words leave his lips. "I am rather taken by your sister Jenna."

Felix felt his breath leave his agape mouth; his body became stiff. His capability to speak — let alone think — was shot, as if ice had frozen him over cruelly. A breeze blew, sending chills up and down his body, but Piers seemed altogether unaffected. He looked straight forward, gazing towards the horizon as if he had not said a thing and all the most recent events had only taken place in Felix's head.

In truth, however, if the silence that stood between the two men could kill, Piers would have died a hundred thousand times. So long did it seem to linger that Piers' feet grew numb. He swallowed hard and concentrated on the connection between his psynergy and the ship, but to no avail. The sound of his breathing seemed so loud against the shrill cry of nothing that he worked to breathe shallower, thereby allowing himself to hear Felix's response, whatever it was, to his confession. Even the waters seemed to lower their voices to the rhythmic beating of two paranoid hearts.

Meanwhile, several different questions and phrases were running through Felix's head, far too quickly for him to catch the words but slowly enough that he knew the meaning they held. One thing, however, that managed to surface clearly was the idea to be slightly more trusting and open to Piers. Surely, he was genuine and respectful enough. Whatever was rushing through Felix's mind fast as lighting swayed him enough to decide to give Piers a decent chance. But first…

"Do you mean to act on your feelings for her?"

"I do, if you do not think a potential relationship would obstruct the ability of this team to function smoothly." Piers was nervous, falling back into usual habits of courteous, courtly sentence structure.

_Of course it will,_ Felix thought. He lowered his gaze to spare himself some of the humiliation that was to follow. "Listen to me well. For some time, I admit, I have been… dissuading Jenna from becoming emotionally involved with anyone. Reason being, she's my little sister, and I don't want to see her hurt. I…" He paused, uncertain whether or not he was willing to expose himself further. And still, "I know myself the pain that love can bring."

Piers twitched involuntarily. The direction this conversation was going was rather unexpected; he had personally never heard Felix make a note to any personal pain. He somberly left his position by the helm and neared the Venus Adept. With sincerity in his voice, he said, "I'm not pretending to understand what pain you have experienced, but I have my own share of heartaches. Should you care to talk —."

"This isn't about me," Felix shot impulsively. He stood, grabbed his food, and moved towards the door, angrily drinking the last few drops of his tea as he marched. He halted after a few paces. Exhaling deeply, he forced himself to release his anger. "Piers." Felix turned on his heel to face the Lemurian. "It's about time she had someone in her life. I can't give her what she needs, and soon, I won't even be around for her."

Gently, Piers replied, "What do you mean?" His face grew stern and serious, his yellow eyes piercing down on the man before him.

"Let me speak with Jenna first," Felix said, ignoring Piers' question. _Let me deal with myself. You wouldn't understand, and there's too much to explain._ "From what I remember, Jenna may have certain other ties. I'll leave her to tell you in her own time." _Isaac… Whatever happened between them?_

As Felix turned his face away, Piers called out sternly, "Felix." The commander sighed audibly. "It isn't good to keep it inside," he said, referring to whatever pain Felix had spoken about earlier. "Might you speak about it later?" Concern hung on his breath like a thick layer of medicine, oozing its way slowly into the invisible scars Felix bore.

"It's none of your business," Felix started. Then, recalling his sister's pleading, "Perhaps. But in my own time." He was quickly swallowed up by the door, which clamored when it closed behind him.

"Thank you," Piers whispered into the wind.

…

**Yallam**

The spotting of land came as such a gift for the Adepts, who by this time had grown tired of seeing nothing but water. It was only a few minutes later that they reached the shores of Yallam and discussed their plans. As Piers set anchor, Felix and the others squinted through the low haze that had accumulated that morning. In the distance, they could see the tips of another ship's topmasts. It seemed that the ship, which was slightly smaller than the Lemurian one, was only sitting in the water near the shoreline.

"Do you think that's the pirates' ship we're looking for?" Sheba asked.

Felix shook his head slowly. "It's hard to say. If it is, it wouldn't look like a pirate's ship."

"That's right. They pretend to be merchants," Jenna scoffed.

"Should we approach them to get a better view?" posed Piers.

The leader furrowed his brow in thought. _We need to get a better view. Still, getting closer could scare them off._ "No. We'll go into town instead."

"Why?" Jenna asked accusingly. "If we wait, we could lose our chance." She turned her gaze back to the ship. Hidden in the fog as it was, it sent something of an eerie vibe, something easily acceptable for the pirates' ship for which they were looking.

"We know the pirates act as merchants during the day, haggling with townsfolk and selling goods. During the night, however, they ransack the place," Felix replied. He left his position, entered the common room, and commenced packing essentials for the road. His allies followed him, Sheba and Piers doing the same. Jenna was still uncertain.

"So, what? You just want to wait until something bad happens?" Jenna spat.

"Jenna," Piers said calmly, "I believe the fact Felix is skirting around is that, if the passengers on that boat are indeed the pirates who ransacked Apojii, and if they have ransacked Yallam this past night, they would have left hours ago. Yet, we find them still here, dallying on the water."

"Oh." The Mars Adept pursed her lips to the side. Piers' bluntness thoroughly flushed her of her pushy attitude. In its place came one of humbleness. Yet, at the sheer realization that she had understood, she remarked excitedly, "Would you believe I understood that?"

"No."

"Yes," said Piers, giving Sheba, who had reported the former answer, a questioning eye. _Is she being… sarcastic? I cannot tell; yet, she and Jenna are friendly, so she must._ He smiled to himself.

However, of course, Sheba had not meant for her remark to be taken as sarcasm, something that Jenna caught onto far faster than Piers. The flame-user and the wind-tamer exchanged electrifying glances.

"You're playing me, and I know it," Jenna snickered.

Sheba smirked. "How can you be so sure?"

"So!" — Felix broke the girls' concentration — "It is just as Piers had described. We will go into town and ask the villagers if any merchants have arrived. If they have, then we have no chance in sizing up our enemies until they attack at nightfall. If they have not, we shall seize the opportunity."

"Jenna, do you know how many pirates we should expect?" Piers questioned. The girl answered him quickly.

"No, but Naadiya didn't give me the impression that there were a lot of them." She shrugged her shoulders questioningly and sighed. "Maybe five or six?"

"Hold on. 'Naadiya'?" Sheba darted. Her hands on her hips, she added, "I thought you didn't know the lady's name?"

She was caught. Jenna cleared her throat, expecting the Jupiter Adept to find her explanation unsatisfactory. "I didn't, but I found out last night in my sleep."

The short blonde laughed gently. Playfully, she replied, "Are you sure you didn't just dream it up?"

"Well, I guess I did 'cause I was dreaming," Jenna played along. "But, honestly, that's how I know. I dreamt about her."

"Do you dream about her often?" Piers inquired, wondering if this Naadiya was the reason for Jenna's distress a few nights ago.

Jenna shrugged in reply. "Often en—."

"Hey, you can save this conversation for the road!" Felix barked, himself thoroughly packed. His blade and complementary short knives were strapped tightly to his waist; a medium-sized leather bag was saddled over his left shoulder. He gestured over to a few other sacks, which the others were meant to partition between themselves. Within minutes, the girls were arguing lightheartedly over who should shoulder the largest of the sacks.

Years before, there would not have been a partition for Felix's sake. When in Saturos and Menardi's company, he would have saddled everything, from small, light bundles to the spoils of any enemies encountered along the way. Felix was their animal, their beast of burden, meant to carry anything his leaders would rather not. Additionally, whenever there was an argument, he was meant to settle the dispute by choosing a side, only to have the living daylights pummeled out of him by the losing party. In that sense, he carried the burden of poor moral. As bungled up as Felix was by day's end, it was always he who had to pitch camp and stand guard first. Now, Felix was more than happy to put that old life away.

"So, are we going?" Jenna broke Felix's reminiscence.

"Yeah. Let's go."

…

The town, sandwiched between two mountains, was surprisingly less rugged than the party had suspected. The small valley was lively; the grass, decorated in some places by wild flowers, was strong and healthy. Within, several stone huts, themselves cold and unwelcoming, sat upon the hilly landscape. The voyagers entered the inn, checked in, and settled themselves before exploring the rest of Yallam.

"Ma'am," Felix said kindly to the innkeeper, "have any merchants come past recently?"

The woman shook her head. "None, sir, but if you are looking for any special goods, might I suggest our blacksmith? Sunshine is as good as they come!" She smiled sweetly.

"You have a blacksmith?" Jenna asked, popping out from behind her brother's shoulder. "Where can we find him?"

The innkeeper walked briskly to the window and pointed to a cottage sitting at the highest part of the town. Small puffs of smoke were coming out from the chimney. "That's where you can find him." She turned to face the company of five, frowning slightly. "Sunshine only likes to work with materials of the highest quality, though. If you don't have anything particularly rare, asking him to make you something won't be worth your salt, if I may speak frankly."

"Is there any reason why he's so selective?" asked Kraden. Something about that little house did not fit the picture. In this small town, there would not be a need for extravagant weaponry. Additionally, as isolated as Yallam was, it would not be particularly convenient for warriors to reach. It would make more sense for the man to be serving the needs of the town, in that case.

The woman sighed. "That's something we've all been asking. With the town as poor as it is, Sunshine would be doing us a favor if he worked more often."

Jenna opened her mouth to speak, but Sheba got her bit first. Scoffing, Sheba said, "Maybe someone should push him more."

"That's a matter for his wife to take care of," the innkeeper replied. "And as far as we know, she's tried, but to no avail. Rumor has it that their marriage is on the rocks as it is." In a hushed voice, she added, "I heard Sunshine had threatened to skip town. Now, as little as he works, if that were to happen, I believe Yallam would go completely under."

Jenna held out her hand as if to ask permission to speak. "I thought Yallam was home to pearl divers. How could the town be doing so poorly if that were the case?"

"That's just the thing; it's not the case anymore. Ever since Yepp, the man who began to pearl-diving frenzy, died, Yallam gave up on the business."

Piers asked, "What, then, is the town's main source of income?"

"With Sunshine as unreliable as he is, it's mountain fish. The villagers leave before daybreak and travel to Taopo Swamp to fish. But recently, mountain fish have grown scarce." She stepped back around the counter, leaning on it as she continued. "There's been a drought in the region. We've never gotten droughts before, but this one doesn't seem like it'll be an irregular thing. The town elder claims the climate is changing due to some kind of disturbance. What on Weyard is going on?"

The Adepts looked from one to the other, all equally unwilling to answer her. Luckily, the woman's husband entered the inn with a pile of chopped wood for the open stove in his arms. The two drummed up a conversation, giving the Adepts the opportunity to slide out the door.

…

The innkeeper was good to her word; Sunshine wanted nothing to do with the group of Adepts. So, after having taken a good look at the rest of the town and speaking with the villagers, the party found itself crammed in the weapon and armor shop. From hand to hand, the Adepts passed around axes, maces, and swords of various lengths and widths. Unfortunately, they were not so pleased with the selection of weaponry; however, they did manage to find some better armor. More importantly, though, they managed to buy winter coats from the local furrier.

"Gosh, it's so heavy!" Sheba complained as she tried on one coat. "What did you say we need these for, Felix?"

"Our next destination is Tundaria Tower, located on Weyard's south-most continent. The very land it was built upon is frozen due to the frigid temperatures," he replied matter-of-factly. "If you don't want to freeze to death, you'll need a good fur coat."

"With frigid temperatures, I suppose I should not be wrong to expect snow," Piers chimed. "I have never seen snow before, but I have read about it from past voyages of other Lemurians. I admit, I shall be excited to see it when I do."

"'Snow'?" Sheba questioned curiously. Coming for Lalivero, a town close to the arid Suhalla Desert, snow was not a common natural occurrence. In fact, Sheba had never seen the beauty of the chilly ice crystals before.

Jenna, who had been busy admiring herself, perked up. "It's nothing really special. Basically, it's small flakes of frozen water that fall out of the sky like rain, though only when it's cold enough outside. We see snow seasonally up in Vale."

The Jupiter Adept smiled at the idea. "I guess Piers and I will share our first experience of snow together, then."

The Lemurian chuckled to himself as he freed his hair from the entrapment that was his newly purchased fur coat. "Indeed," he said to Sheba, but his attention was not on her. His gaze fell on the auburn haired girl who was spinning around playfully, trying to get a better feel for the jacket. His yellow eyes hung onto that image as his mind slowly drifted into a memory.

Piers had finally caught the girl alone. She, a tall and slender beauty with long, silky blue hair, had left her house to be by her lonesome in the meadow. There she stood in her springtide dress, gazing out into the mist of the ocean; her bare feet gripped the soft earth beneath her.

"Nerine," Piers had whispered into her ear, sending a wave of shock through the maiden. The girl had spun around quickly to see whom it was that stood behind her. In her frantic twist, Nerine had tripped herself, sending herself off balance. She jutted out her arms, flailing them in hopes of stabilizing herself. Her efforts, however, were in vain, and she began to fall backwards.

All this happening in the matter of seconds, a pinch of concern exploded in Piers' core. He threw out his arms, catching her gracefully in her fall. The maiden laughed gently, her hand on her chest as she caught her breath and resumed her calm.

"You have frightened me, Piers! I heard you not as you came up behind me," she laughed. Her eyes sparkled joyously as she threw her arms around the man's neck.

Piers smiled gleefully, showing his dazzlingly white teeth. "I had not meant for you to hear, but if I had known that I would have caused such alarm, I would have given myself away easily. Even so," he began with a smirk, "if I had known how easily my surprise would have earned me the thrill of having you in my arms, I would have done so sooner." Piers chuckled freely.

Nerine giggled. "And so should you have! I would have been glad." With one hand, she stroked Piers' cheek. "Worry not on the matter of my scare; this close proximity more than makes up for it." Then, with a girlish grin, Nerine moved in for a kiss. Piers' spirit lurched unexpectedly as their lips met.

Now, looking at Jenna, Piers remembered the first girl for whom he ever really had feelings. He smirked to himself. _There is something greater about this girl. Jenna has qualities of depth that even Nerine could not possess in the boundlessness of her heart. This girl has such color to her spirit, such color._ He grinned widely without notice.

Felix handed the furrier a small sack of coins, thanked the man, and returned to the group. Looking up to the sky, which was now bright with sunlight, he said, "It should be about time for these pirates to arrive. Everyone in the town is awake by now. We should find somewhere to wait."

The Mars Adept shook her head and nodded to the entrance of town. A small party of four was just making its way into the centre of town. "I don't think we'll have to wait for long," she muttered.

* * *

Ah, and so the capturers arrive. Unfortunately, you shall all have to wait until the next chapter to find out what happens.

Thank you so much for reading! I hope you enjoyed it. Don't forget to review.

As always, thanks to all for reviewing, favorite-ing, and following. Also, thank you to new readers! Thank you!

- Tem


	8. Chapter 8: Consideration

Hello, all! Sorry it's been so long since the last update. Excuses aside, I hope this chapter can make up for it. Let me know what you think. One last thing, a "votk" is a unit of measure for distances. Itaque, I give you Chapter 8!

* * *

Chapter 8: Consideration

**Yallam**

The party stared as four men donning tattered and somewhat mismatched attire entered the village. Obviously, these four pirates had stolen their clothing from someone somewhere. They each had on thick, leather boots into which long pants were tucked. Airy shirts cloaked their chests underneath light vests, save for the first man in line, who wore a long, green jacket. Sheba, with keen eyes, spotted the hilt of a dagger secured at the pirate's left hip.

"Maybe we shouldn't be starring at them like this," Sheba muttered to her companions. "Don't we look rather suspicious?"

"I'd say!" Kraden appeared behind the party, which turned in unison to see the old man carrying three scrolls in his arms. He looked at them for half a moment before spitting, "Well, what are you waiting for?"

Jenna spoke first before anyone could move. "Wait!" She swallowed, her eyes glued to the four foreign men. Her brown eyes darted back and forth. Breathily, she whispered, "He's not there."

"You mean Akketch." Felix came to his sister's side.

"Yes," she nodded. Turning her head sharply, she added, "He must be on the ship!" Jenna peered deeply into her brother's eyes, hoping to get an unvoiced message across. It worked.

_She means to free the boy herself, doesn't she?_ Felix furrowed his brow, closing his eyes as he did. _Considering the fact that these men do not spend long their welcome, this could be our best bet at approaching the ship without many of its passengers onboard. Who knows when next the chance could come_. Then, a sudden reminder zoomed from his temporal lobe to his prefrontal cortex, like a lightning bolt striking the ground. _Of course! This would be the best opportunity. I'd never get her alone otherwise._

"You won't be going alone."

She almost retorted, but thought better of it; the look on Felix's face did not give her the impression that he was willing to negotiate. Playfully, she joked, "Like you'd ever let me." She smirked. "So, who'll be going with me?" She waved her arm before the rest of the party, as if to open the floor to volunteers.

Piers stepped forward. "I would be privileged to fulfill the function of your companion," he suggested with a smile. Jenna shot him a grin in return, her core silently lunging forward at the thought of being alone with him.

"Hey, I want in, too!" Sheba called out. At her loud remark, Felix shot her an icy glare, to which she responded by cowering backwards. "Sorry," she whispered.

Kraden urged, "Be quick about your decision, Jenna. If we loiter any longer, we'll draw the attention of our adversaries. Of course, that would only make leaving town quietly harder for you."

"Well, then —."

"I'm going with Jenna," Felix announced. Sheba and Piers looked at him accusingly, as if he had cheated. Jenna, too, began to heat up; fortunately, she was able to bottle it up for the moment. Felix explained, "As leader, I am already involved in the matter. Go on; we'll be back soon." Piers took Felix's and Jenna's coats from them and turned slowly to follow Sheba and Kraden, but only after whispering a "good luck" to the Mars Adept.

Once out of earshot, Jenna heatedly spat, "What the heck was that for?" She bore her teeth as she spoke, her face invading her brother's personal space.

Expressionless, Felix turned away and headed for the town's entrance, pulling Jenna behind him. She was wriggling, trying to free herself from him, but he tightened his grip and hissed, "Quit making a scene, or this won't work out in your favor on more levels than one." The girl huffed in reply, an angry frown on her face.

The two managed to venture far enough away from the town before either one exploded in a fiery frenzy of mutual annoyance. Oddly enough, the weather that day hardly mimicked the temperature of their blood, which had metaphorically reached boiling magnitudes. Instead, it was a sunny day with a crisp breeze and scattered clouds.

"Alright, _what_ is this?!" Jenna cried. "Wasn't I supposed to have an option? If you had _planned_ it to go along this way, then _why_ did'ju even bother making it _sound_ like I had options?"

"That wasn't my intention," Felix replied, his voice suave.

"_What_ wasn't your intention? The making-it-sound-like-I-had-options part or the —."

Felix cut her off. "I had to speak to you privately; this seemed opportune."

"Oh, like you couldn't find another time?"

"Does it matter?" Jenna made an exasperated face; Felix did not allow her time to answer. "How do you feel about Isaac?"

It seemed as if the simple question took the breath out of Jenna, for she stood in silence for half a moment as her face dropped its expression. _Isaac? Why is he bringing him up? Isn't Isaac one of those off-limits topics with him?_

Jenna assumed a new position, placing her hand on her hip. "So, is _this_ what you really wanna talk to me about? Mercy me…" She shook her head dramatically, the idea too foreign for her to comprehend.

"Whether I want to or not doesn't make a difference," Felix replied coolly. He gestured to the path ahead of them, inviting Jenna to continue walking with him to the ship; she complied. "Isaac," Felix said again. "Do you still like him?"

"What does it matter to you?"

"Just answer the question." Seeing the growing contempt in his sister's eyes, he gently added "please."

_Ugh, what do I say! I need to stall a bit. Perhaps if I play cheeky… _The auburn-haired girl scoffed. "Of course I still like him. We've been the best of friends for so long."

"That's not what I meant," Felix replied coldly. He was already beginning to lose his patience. _I have to keep my emotions in line. One feeling out of line is one move played wrongly._ He inhaled and counted to ten, visualizing his frustration departing from him. "Let me put this to you straight: Do you have romantic attachments to him?"

She hesitated, forcing herself to calm down enough to think clearly. She could feel her heart pounding rapidly in its cage. _Okay, perhaps if I at least pretend I'm not too still attached, he'll leave me alone._ "No, I do not."

"I doubt that."

Jenna ground her teeth. "Well, then, if you're so sure, why did'ja bother asking?!" Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Felix flashing her a glance that seemed to her something of a final warning. Pulling herself together, she tried her best to act. Under pressure as it was, she did not expect much. _He knows me too well, anyway. This'll never work!_

Thoughtfully, Jenna sighed, "I haven't seen him in so long; my feelings for him are… Well," she exhaled shortly but sharply, "they're gone."

"Gone or forgotten?" her brother pushed.

_Ugh, come on!_ "Whattdaya mean?" Jenna was losing her temper once more.

A few uncomfortable seconds passed before Felix said, "Piers has noticed you."

"Oh, yeah? And that's somehow _my_ fault?" She tried her best to sound unmoved, callous even, but underneath her façade, she felt both excitement and panic. _No, I've chosen Isaac. You've chosen Isaac, Jenna! Don't get any stupid ideas!_

Felix merely continued trudging along. _I can see where to take this. This is perfect._ He smirked. _No, this is too easy._ "I room with Piers, and I know the kind of man he is. He isn't the type to take the first opportunity to make a move on a girl. If he's noticed you, it's because you had noticed him first."

Jenna did not like where this conversation was going; a sharp panic clutched her throat, and she found it harder to breathe. "So now you're accusing me of flirting?"

"Have you?"

_Ugh, so now he's acting all passive. I hate it when he's like this._ The question resonated in Jenna's head, first in her brother's voice, but later in her own. _Have I?_ "…Perhaps."

The Venus Adept, now filled with conflicting feelings, tried to smirk at the fact that his hypothesis had proven accurate. It was proper for him to be glad that he had guessed correctly. Still, the near admission that his kid sister had flirted under his nose caused notions of disgust to surge through his blood. The fact that the confession came out of his kid sister's mouth was another blow to his feelings of authority.

"Then, yes, I am accusing you," said Felix insensitively as he bit his tongue, trying to hold his emotions back.

His sister grunted, "Why do you have to be so cold?"

On the back of a whisper came the cordial answer. "I choose to be this way." Memories of his adolescent years in Prox suddenly surfaced. Images of his parents, his captors, and the snow flooded his mind. The snow — oh, how it covered the land for several votk, covering it in an icy blanket. That forsaken town was good to him for only one purpose, and now she was gone, the girl who once would nod off to sleep outdoors, only to be found minutes later with a thin layer of snow upon her.

_Get a hold of yourself; you're losing control of this conversation quickly_, Felix scolded himself. "Don't take it to heart," he said to Jenna. "So, do you like him?" he asked, implying Piers now as the subject matter.

Jenna looked off to the distance, feigning a silent treatment. For all their walking, they still had not yet reached the shoreline. The pirate's ship, now docked by land, could be seen clearly. _Nearly there! Finally. How did this conversation get this far, anyhow? He can't expect me to answer this last question, honestly, can he?_

"Tell me, which of these is true: You like Piers, or you were playing him?"

_"Playing him?" Ah, crap!_ At last, she had realized it, the corner into which her eloquent brother had backed her. To say she liked Piers would be to dig her grave, believing her brother did not take well the idea of her in a romantic relationship with anyone. Besides, as she now saw, the whole conversation was not really about her feelings for Isaac, but her feelings for Piers and whether or not she returned his affection for her. On the contrary, if she said she had no feelings for Piers, it would seem, as Felix had said, that she was playing Piers this whole time. In that case, she would look the heartless witch for toying with a man's heart. Then there was Isaac and her vow of loyalty to him.

Jenna inhaled deeply, signing her fate off with the next few words that escaped her mouth: "I like him. I really do…," _don't I?_

…

The pair reached the pirates' ship within a few more minutes of walking unaccompanied by conversation. She was anchored at the shoreline with two wide wooden boards connecting her deck to the beach. On board, the Adepts could see a dozen crates and sacks strung tightly to the posts of the ship's railing, precious stolen goods hidden inside. A disheveled boy stood up and stretched out his back with a yawn. Bending over again, he picked up his water bucket and swab, and he moved to another location on the ship.

_It's him!_ Excited at the sight of him both alive and mobile, Jenna broke into a run. "Akketch!" she cried as she neared the side of the boat. Looking up the ship's broad side, again she called to him, "Akketch!"

Taken by surprise, the boy dropped the bucket and swab, drew the dragger at his waist, and went to the ship's side. Upon looking over the railing, he noticed Jenna and shouted, "Who are you? What do you want?" The boy's palms began to sweat; looking into the face of the girl who called out his name, he wondered whether she was threatening or not. Just in case, he wiped the sweat of his hands off on his pants, first the right hand, then the left. He tightened his grip.

Jenna smiled. Looking up at Akketch, she was filled with an infinite joy, as if she was setting eyes upon something she once had but lost. Her heart almost leapt out of her chest. Jenna looked to her right at her brother, who was hiding himself in the foliage; he did not intend to let himself be seen by the boy yet then. Jenna turned away her gaze and instead raised her hand up at Akketch, waving fleetingly. "Akketch, I've found you! I'm here to take you home!"

The adolescent looked confused. He jolted his head. "Home?" he repeated, a note of question hanging in the air.

"Yes, home to Apojii. Aren't you glad? Now, if you grab your things —."

"Who sent you?"

Jenna sighed exasperatedly. _The pirates could be returning soon; I need to get this over with quickly._ "Your mother sent me to return you to her; she's dreadfully worried, what with your kidnapping."

Akketch threw his head back in a laugh, withdrawing his dagger to his side as he did. "I don't know who you _think_ you are, but you'll have to lie better than that if you want me to go with you."

"What?" the Mars Adept gasped. "What do you mean?"

He laughed, "Well, for one, my mother is dead."

Felix stirred uncomfortably in the shrubbery. _The hell, Jenna. What have you gotten us into?_

"Th-that can't be. She sent me for you!" stuttered Jenna in disbelief.

"Tell me, what's her occupation?"

"Matchmaker."

Akketch nodded understandingly, a spit of fire welling in his core. "That would be my aunt, the very woman from whom I ran."

"Aunt? Ran? Your mother told —."

"I'll tell you again, she's NOT my MOTHER!" Akketch shrieked. Panting angrily, he turned away from a stunned Jenna and returned to his duties, scrubbing the deck with a raging fury. Under his breath, he muttered cruel remarks about his aunt and current situation.

"What do we do?" Jenna whispered with a hiss to her brother, who emerged from the flora. Thoughts concerning the matchmaker's curse ran through Jenna's mind. _If I don't bring him home, I'll never be satisfied in my love life. That was the deal. Now I think I know why she planned it this way._

Brushing himself off, Felix responded, "Don't you need this boy in order to rid yourself of that curse?" To this, Jenna nodded pensively. "Then I suggest you get a proper explanation from this boy."

"You think he's lying to us?"

"I don't know what to think, but I'd feel more confident knowing more information."

With some further discussion, the siblings decided to confront Akketch once more. Jenna invited herself onboard the pirate ship; the Venus Adept following along behind her for support, somewhat for an intimidating effect. Akketch, still muttering to himself, turned his head sharply to the sound of their feet pounding on the deck of the ship.

"I thought you'd gone," he gritted.

The auburn-haired girl shook her head sternly, "Your _aunt_ told me that you were kidnapped by pirates one night. Are you telling me that's a lie?"

"If I had been kidnapped, why would I not be tied up right now?" retorted Akketch with attitude. "And who's this? Your body guard?"

Felix hoarsely answered, "Her brother. Now, I advise you to answer the question."

"How about some names first?" he smirked. The Adepts complied.

The tan young man exhaled sharply, eying the two travelers. "I wasn't kidnapped," he answered, tossing his swab to the floor. "I ran away because my aunt is an obsessive, protective maniac. These men came to my village one day. Once night had fallen, I crept onto their ship. Now, I'm their cabin boy and," — he gestured to the bucket of water and swab — "their swabbie." Akketch shrugged. "It's not so bad; I get paid. At any rate, it's _far_ better than living with that _woman_." He rolled his eyes.

"You wouldn't want to return?" Felix asked.

"I've somewhat made… a promise to your aunt that I'd take you home," added Jenna.

"Well," Akketch scoffed, "that's not _my_ fault, is it?" He raised his arms to his sides in a manner that seemed to say "too bad," but lowered them shortly after catching Jenna's hurt expression. "Look, if she's cursed you, I can't help you there. There's absolutely no way on Weyard that I'm returning to that monster. I left for a reason: to free myself of her clutches." He shook his head and wiped the sweat off his forehead. Raising his gaze to the sky, he muttered, "I don't care how badly off you are. It's either my life or yours, and frankly, this is _my_ time to live."

Tears began making their way out of Jenna's aqueduct reluctantly. Before they were made too visible, they evaporated from her skin as she forced herself to hold it together. Swallowing, she lubricated her dry throat. Hoarsely, she asked, "Do you have to be so heartless? I… I'm trying to sympathize for you somehow, but you aren't helping me much."

Akketch mocked, "Why should I care whether you feel bad for me or not? Save your sympathy for yourself." Nervously, he laughed; he had taken notice of Felix's grimace.

"I would watch what you say, boy," the burly Venus Adept retorted. "I might soon have you tied up and seated at your aunt's doorstep, if you keep up this attitude. But before it came to that…" Devilishly, he smirked as he made a motion to loosen his sword from its sheath.

The islander's eyebrows shot up quickly. _He wouldn't dare!_ Akketch almost spat a sarcastic, defensive remark, but seeing the way Felix was tenderly caressing his blade made him think again. He snorted brusquely, "What do you want with me?"

"Manners, for one," Felix said, cocking his head to the side. "Second, why don't you tell us why your aunt is an 'obsessive, protective maniac,' mm?"

A chill ran down the Apojin's spine. Felix's attempt at gentle coercion came off just a bit too creepy for Akketch's liking, or was that the point? Regardless, there was no getting around it now. Akketch glanced leftwards as he pondered. "She wasn't always this way — crazy, I mean. She started getting this way after…."

He bit his lip. Never had he mentioned this to anyone before, not even his closest friend. Granted, no one had asked, mostly because no one had dared; the unstable state into which Akketch had fallen discouraged the questions of the nosiest people on the island. Somehow, he had thought it a good thing then, but now, with the name barely being formed on his lips, Akketch thought differently. He had never truly been able to mourn. He gulped.

"She changed after Bashar died."

"Her husband?" Jenna asked with a hushed voice.

Akketch shook his head, still keeping his eyes on the sky. "No. My cousin." Despite the growing desire to sit, to rest his feet, Akketch remained standing. With Bashar's name riding the air, any movement on Akketch's part would have seemed to destroy the sentiment. "He died when he was seven; I was ten. There was a…," Akketch inhaled deeply as he forced himself to move onward, "a disease brought to us by foreigners, merchants. I got sick with it first and then gave it to Bashar. His feeble body was too weak to handle the illness." _Bashar…_

As only children in a closely-knit community, Akketch and Bashar grew up rather much as brothers. The youngster, Bashar, especially admired Akketch, who meant more to him than Akketch even knew. Bashar was borne unto Naadiya and a sailor, who had never stayed long enough to be in his life. Having no father in his life, the small boy had Akketch unknowingly fulfill that function for him.

For Akketch, the short boy with messy hair was his greatest confidant and most loyal playmate. Even when the village children played football, if Akketch and Bashar were on different teams, the little one would always attempt to help his older cousin. In return, Akketch let Bashar make several goals throughout the game. Eventually, the others caught on: the cousins were inseparable.

"Somehow, I was cursed with outliving him," Akketch carried on, as the two Adepts stood by intently listening in silence. "My aunt, Naadiya, didn't take his death well; she grew depressed, reclusive, and taciturn." He swallowed and lowered his head. Looking into his empty hands, he continued his tale. "A few years after, my father was mauled to death while on a hunt. Like my aunt, my mother crumbled away due to losing him. She tried to find comfort from her sister, but Naadiya only made my mom worse. My mom lost interest in everything and stopped taking care of herself."

_Drip. Drip._

The touch of wet tears in his hands woke Akketch up, taking him out of his nostalgic recollection and returning him to reality. "She was _gone_! _Gone_! Just like my father!" he shouted. Akketch fell to his knees and, through his sobbing, moaned, "I _needed_ her. Sure, he was her husband, but she had lived fine without him before they had met. My father — _I had him since the day I was born_!"

A hand reached out to console the weeping boy. "Akketch," Jenna whispered.

Abruptly, Akketch brushed the hand away. "I don't need it." _But it would be nice to have someone to lie to me, to tell me "it's all gonna be okay," wouldn't it? Next time, let her. Next time._ He cleared his throat. The tears remained on his cheeks, the wet remnants of their paths burning his skin in the sunlight.

"Afterward, my mother died. I swear my aunt had something to do with it. Thing is, I don't know whether to hate her or thank her for it. My mother was such a mess. Maybe it was better that way. Thing is, it was just Naadiya and me. An orphan, I was taken in by my grieving aunt. She loved me, I know, but unnaturally so. I became a son to her." He laughed quietly to himself, dismissing his mistake with a frown. "No. I _was_ her son, in her times, she had blundered, calling me 'Bathar.'

"Eventually, she became far too clingy. It got to a point where she refused to let me go outside if I was going to leave her side. She was afraid that I, her second Bathar, was going to leave her alone again. That fear loomed over her head each day. Being afraid of being alone is a fear I can understand, but I couldn't stay with her; it would destroy me. I realized I couldn't dwell in the past, but that was where she existed, that and the future. I needed the present era to heal me, so I left her.

"See, she had found a connection to the dark arts, and in consequence, her mind was so twisted that she wasn't the woman I knew her to be. She was obsessed with me and with making me the perfect Bathar. She would cut my hair to match my cousin's, and she would instruct me in holding his mannerisms. Shamefully, I've carried some of them with me, like ghosts hovering over my shoulder, ghosts that I can't shake off."

Akketch raised a hand to his forehead, hiding his red eyes from the Adepts as he addressed the female. "Jenna, I don't know what your curse is, but if I'm sure of anything, it's that Naadiya only curses people and things. I highly doubt she can cure. Please," he raised his head, looking solemnly into the flame-user's eyes, "don't make me go back there. I'm sorry for you, I am, but please."

* * *

Well, I think I shall end it there. I could have written more, but this chapter (I think) is long enough. Besides, I felt bad for leaving you all hanging for so long. Hopefully, I captured the essence of the emotion in this chapter well. How do you think the story is progressing so far?

Anyway, thank you so much for reading, favoriting, and following, especially you new people. It really means a lot to me. THANK YOU!

As always, Tem


	9. Chapter 9: Colors

Firstly, thank you so, so, so much to all the new readers, followers, and favoriters! Secondly, as you read, you will come across the word "unaligned." In this context, _unaligned_ means a non-Adept, almost like an Exathi. Thirdly, I'd make a few excuses for why it took me so long to post this chapter, but I doubt anyone really cares. What you probably do care about is the fact that it's here (hopefully). So here it is: Chapter 9.

* * *

Chapter 9: Colors

**The Pirates' Ship**

That was it. Her heart was broken.

In that instant, several shouts of people calling her soft and maudlin ran through her mind. Like daggers, they cut into her pride. Before, she had tried to shake it off, her caring heart, and to look past sentiment in times such as this. Her feelings often made it difficult for her to think clearly and to make wise decisions, but now, that did not matter. There sat quivering a skinny, lonely boy before her, and she had the choice either to condemn him to hell on Weyard or to strip away any hope of a satisfactory love life for herself.

It had occurred to her that these choices were the downsides to the decision she could make. Again, she was entertaining her pessimism. No, her choice was between granting this loveless boy a happy life and giving herself a secured love. It was either her part or his whole. There was nothing more to it. Frankly, she knew what the right choice was; she simply was not sure whether she wanted to make it.

_This would seal my destiny. After this, there would be no turning back._

Her wrists stung as she held her hands close to her face, gingerly touching her trembling lips. Carefully, she fought to keep her whimpering to a minimum, wishing not to embarrass herself in the presence of her brother. It was already enough that her eyes were wet with tears. As she wiped them away, she thought of how her brother would tease her later for her inability to hide her feelings, as a true warrior would be able to do.

Although she believed the mockery emerged from her brother's enjoyment in seeing her submit to humility, it truly came from a tender place in the man, who both would rather see that his sister had a handle on her emotions and would rather not return to the awareness that he had become callous over the past few years. Little did she know that he had hopes in changing that, if only for one selfish reason.

_Are you sure?_ Her conscience questioned her.

She inhaled sharply. _I'm sure._

"You don't have to worry, Akketch. I won't do that to you." Her voice broke through a wall of phlegm that had been built in her throat while she cried. She cleared her throat forcefully. "I can't."

Jenna knelt down beside the boy to be level with his face. She smiled sweetly, hoping to encourage the islander to trust her words. Involuntarily, he twitched, clearly uncomfortable with the sudden eye contact.

"I promise," Jenna added, her russet eyes peering into his chestnut ones.

The chains of her curse began to wrap themselves around her, choking off her hope and imbedding themselves deep within her, like the clinging pinchers of some life-sucking insect.

Such was her decision. It stemmed from many reasons, most of which seemed extremely selfish, which sickened her. She had realized that, with her heart currently bonded to Isaac and her hand being freshly placed in Piers' own, she was already living out the curse. Perhaps it had already taken hold without her knowledge. Nonetheless, handing Akketch over to his aunt would not benefit Jenna much. Although she might have been able to secure her heart, she would live forever with the looming guilt that she had relinquished a young boy over to his monstrous and abusive handler. She could never find reason to smile knowing that Akketch was being tormented as she was seated beside her one true lover. Thus, she condemned her heart to a lifetime of romantic distress, thinking that, as long as her little sacrifice allowed some unfortunate soul to be dealt a better hand, she could live with it.

Akketch lowered his head as in a bow. "I'll hold you to it." Then, he added, "Thank you."

Standing by in silence, Felix had watched the spoken contract unfold between the two people. His sister's decision stirred his wretched soul with such strong feeling that he had to close his eyes and turn his face away. Jenna was quite the romantic at heart, as she had always been, and seeing her throw away any hope of having a solid love was devastating, most especially since, as far as Felix knew, she had never been in a relationship before.

Jenna smiled, bearing her bright teeth at Akketch. Then, the smile slipped away as she grew more serious. "But the sea isn't any kind of life for a kid your age, and I wouldn't say that pirates are the best role models, either."

The boy scowled, drawing Felix's attention back to the scene. Akketch cried, "So what are you saying? You're just playing with me? You're gonna throw me back into that whole because it's undoubtedly 'what's best for me'?" Angrily, he made to pick himself off from the deck, but Jenna caught his arm.

"No!" she said when she grabbed him, but she quickly let go, as if she had burnt her hand. The subtle feeling of pain seemed to come from her wrists, which had become intensely itchy. Curiously, she pulled up her sleeves and braced herself for the worst.

Beneath her sleeves, her curse marks had been reacting to her physical contact with Akketch, Naadiya's fail-safe system of letting herself know that Jenna had found the boy when she did. Evidently enough, the witch had expected the truth to unfold, so she used her craft either to ensure her goal or to make Jenna regret having not carried it out. At this moment, the second purpose of the curse marks was beginning to show.

Before Jenna's eyes, the intricate black seals were searing her skin, turning it bright red. The girl gasped in shock, thoroughly taken aback. Gingerly, she brought her finger near the skin to touch the area. Even still, she found it hard to believe that the grotesque image before her was not in her head as a moment of recollection, of a memory of a wounded wild beast, burnt alive by her fire.

Felix, who had knelt beside his sister as soon as he had seen the bright red emerge from under her sleeves, sternly pulled Jenna's hand away and inspected the burn himself. His rough hands carefully held his sister's forearms, his fingers slightly twitching with concern. Felix's facial expression was grave as he said, "We need to dress these. The sooner the better." Even as he spoke, he did not raise his concerned eyes to meet Jenna's worried ones.

His sister gave him a nod, giving in to his command. Then, looking towards Akketch, who was standing by, fuming in his own company, she said, "We need to leave, but let me have these last words with you."

"Fine, then," said the boy frigidly, arms crossed. "Have at it."

Getting on her feet and looking the boy square in the face, Jenna continued. "I meant what I said; you have your freedom. But I also meant it when I said I didn't agree with leaving you with these pirates. Now, we have a ship…"

Jenna's voice trailed off. She took a quick side-glance at Felix, now standing, who narrowed his eyes at her in suspicion. The Mars Adept tried to make quick work of getting her words out of her mouth before her brother cut her off prematurely, but the Venus Adept was too fast for her. "If it's to your liking, we'd be glad to have you with —."

"The ship," Felix interjected, "is no place for an untrained, unaligned boy your age." His words fell from his mouth like lead, cold and uncaring. He shot Jenna an intimidating stare; she cowered back and tried to avoid his glance.

Akketch wished to cast some sarcastic comment into the conversation. Who durst tell him what he could not handle? He jutted his jaw and clenched his fist, but that was all he did as he waited to hear whatever else the man before him had to say.

Returning his attention to Akketch, Felix went on. "What I will offer you is a temporary stay on board the ship. Your residence terminates once we find you a suitable home. We should unquestionably come across worthwhile town on our journey."

_Home. Could it be true?_ Akketch could hardly believe it. Against his desire to maintain a passive exterior, he beamed and his eyes glowed with delight and hope.

Felix plodded on through with his offer. "Our business in Yallam is done by first light. If you wish to join us, meet us. Either the town entrance or the side of our ship" — Felix pointed in the general direction of where the Lemurian vessel was anchored — "is acceptable. Whichever you prefer. Do note: We will not wait for you."

"And I don't expect you to!" Akketch blurted out uncontrollably. Then, with a painfully regretful face, he cleared his throat and apologized. "I'll think it over."

With a nod, Felix turned to depart, his sister trailing behind him.

When she was a few feet away from her brother, though not yet off the pirates' ship, she turned. To Akketch, she whispered, "Please come. I think it's better that way." Then, with a smile, she disembarked and briskly ran to catch up with Felix.

…

**Yallam**

"Where be ye leadin'?" asked he, a short and stocky pirate. He was leaning to the side as he sipped generously from his leather pouch something known to pirates as "grog." Although slightly creepy, the pirate came off as a friendly guy who just seriously could not tone down his thug factor.

Sheba had been making her way around town, mind-reading villagers as she tried to keep low profile in the close company of the pirates. At the sound of heavy footsteps behind her, she had turned sharply, her heart racing, to come face-to-face with one of the fake merchants. She had eyed the man suspiciously.

Disgustedly, she turned her head to the side to avoid the unappealing smell of the alcohol the man had been drinking on his breath. "What are you talking about?" she asked shyly.

The pirate snorted. "Come on, lass! Ye stand out from these homebodies like a counterfeit golden nugget."

Sheba gave the man a look of confusion. "But counterfeit golden nuggets look just like the real ones."

"Aye, lass, but not t' the keen ol' eye," he replied with a wink. Then, leaning forward, he spoke in a hushed tone. Feeling uncomfortable, Sheba leaned backward to widen the space between herself and the stranger as he breathed his hot breath in her face: "I see how ye try to fit in, like a pirate in sailor's clothin'. But here's the thin', lass: Ye can't shake off the smell of sea salt on ye."

Humbly, the girl lowered her eyes to the ground. The topic of conversation had resurrected some feelings for Sheba, who was growing somewhat melancholic. Then, looking up suddenly, she countered. "I may stand out because of my appearance, but you don't seem to be doing a good job of wearing a merchant's mask. And I, for one, have never met a merchant with your accent, either." Broadly, she smirked.

The man's eyes opened widely in shock for an instant. Then, he let out a roaring chuckle. "Maybe I not be tryin' to paint meself up to be who I aren't!" With a hearty belly laugh, the sailor spilled some of his alcoholic drink on the ground. At the sight, he killed his laughter and stared with melancholy at the small puddle of grog seeping into the soil. Then, looking back to Sheba's concerned face, he resumed his laughter. "Ye be quite the humorous wee lass! Yar-har!"

From behind the drunken sailor came a brittle shout. "Ofydd! I told you to stay off the liquor! It's meant to last us all until our next stop." By this time, the man had come close enough to Ofydd to whisper into his ear an insult: "You grog-snarfing blowfish!"

"Padrig, Padrig! Ye sea dog know as well as me that this grog be too good to leave to men like _ye_."

Sneering, Padrig pulled his shipmate aside. With a delicate smile, he excused himself and his mate from Sheba's company.

The Jupiter Adept bowed her head in compliance.

"I told ye before. When ye drink, yer colors fall, ye yellow-bellied scum!" Padrig chastized Ofydd. "Get yer drunken bum back ter the ferner."

"But, Padrig, look ye 'ere. The grog be vanished, matey!"

With a choleric expression, Padrig answered, "Don't be makin' me repeat meself."

…

**Some Undocumented Stretch of Land in Eastern Osenia**

Refusing to let it slip between his fingers, Felix seized the time it took to return to Yallam by reprimanding Jenna. Inviting Akketch onto the ship without having first consulted Felix had truly irked the group's leader. With all honesty, Felix would have considered letting the boy stay on the ship until they had found a good home for him, but it was the sheer fact that Jenna overstepped his authority that brought him to anger. Being the commander was Felix's role, and for the time being, it was his identity. Without that, what was he? _Who_ was he?

After Jenna had managed to make her apology sound heartfelt and genuine, the topic of conversation switched over to her burns. Looking at them again, Jenna could see that small blisters had begun forming around the redness that was her forearms.

"Do you think it'll scar?" asked Jenna, looking intensely at the red braiding.

"I wouldn't disregard the possibility," Felix answered. "We'll see what Piers can do about it."

At the mention of the Mercury Adept's name, the two siblings looked at each other, sharing a glance and nonverbal dialogue.

Jenna spoke. "I'm going to tell him."

"I know you will."

The two continued talking about this and other matters as they made progress to the town. When they were somewhere between the wood and the river, voices could be heard from in the distance. The Venus and Mars Adepts quickly killed their conversation and moved into the wood to hide among the foliage.

"Eilwen, did ye see that sweet miss? What a lovely, little lass she be," whooped the voice of one man. "One o' these days — I say, matey, one o' these days — I be comin' back ter her fine establishment, and she be mine."

Responded Eilwen, "Will she be bowin' before ye with one of 'em great curtsies ye so adore?" He laughed heartily with his companions at his love-struck friend.

"Well, o' course! She knows who 'er man be." He paused as the others laughed at him. "Avast, ye sea scum! Ye should o' seen the way she looks at me. There be tears in 'er eyes. Avast yer mockery!"

"_Tears_ in 'er eyes, Eilwen? Really?" The pirate laughed, "Perchance 'cause she knows she ne'er be seein' ye'gain, Talyessin!"

"Ne'er?" asked Talyessin.

Another voice chimed in with a chuckle. "Aye, Talyessin! Jus' look at yerself, mate. No lass like 'er, no matter 'er beauty, could e'er hold down a rich and handsome scalawag like yerself."

The Adepts heard a shrill cry interrupt the conversation. "Ofydd! Watch the cloths, ye drunk." Ofydd replied with a polite apology as he tried to convince his scolder that the fabric was still clean, though it had fallen onto the ground.

The original conversation picked up once again. "Aye, mate. That broad, sculpted chin o' yers be carved fer none less than a glorified goddess, lad!" came another man.

By this time, Jenna and Felix, who were both quite certain that these were the barbarians for whom they were looking, had made their way north through the wood. Peeking out cautiously through the leaves of the trees, they spotted the same four pirates that had entered Yallam about an hour ago. The four, who, judging from the distance the Adepts were, looked to be in their mid to late twenties, carried newly purchased weapons and armor in their sacks. Two, one of whom stumbled as he walked, carried cloth in their arms.

In the heat of the sun, sweat had formed on Felix's brow. Carelessly wiping it away, he narrowed his eyes. "So, these are the men we're messing with."

"Yup." Jenna smirked, "I think we can take 'em." She gave her brother a side glance that seemed to suggest her confidence in the abilities of her friends and herself.

Felix exhaled sharply through the nose as he smiled gleefully. Playfully, he said, "Oh, you know it."

Talyessin answered the other man saying: "Aye, brother. Ye turn me heart ter the sea, me eyes ter the sky. Young lassie be holdin' me back from me royal throne in the blasted sky!"

"Why in the sky?" asked Eilwen, but another voice came in at the same time, and Eilwen's words drowned under the loudness of the stern voice, which cried: "Avast yer daydreamin', Talyessin! And Ofydd, ne'er encourage 'is ego. Ye ought be o' better knowledge than me there."

Ofydd chuckled. "O, tha' be a bit o' fun, Padrig." The other pirates grunted in agreement. "Comb yer beard."

Padrig responded with an annoyed grumble. Before he had time to make a comment, the snowy-haired Eilwen stepped in to defend Ofydd's statement. A few seconds later, the once mobile group stopped, and its components began to argue amongst themselves.

"What should we do?" asked Jenna. "Approach them now? They don't seem to be well prepared for an attack."

"No…" Felix's voice trailed off as he thought, his eyes glued to the quarrelsome group of four. "Let's keep our presence a secret so that they're surprised when we approach them at dawn."

"But I'm sure they spotted us armor-clad Adepts when we were back in town," asked Jenna in a quasi-questioning manner.

Felix replied, "For certain, but they don't yet know what our purpose is for tonight: to catch them in the act." Then, without room for pause, he turned, "Let's go!"

…

**Yallam**

"What _is_ this thing?" Sheba asked Kraden, her mind utterly boggled.

"This, my dear, is the mountain fish about which our hospitable innkeeper here has told us," he answered, giving a compliment to the woman, who smiled pleasantly, serving the food as he did.

The Jupiter Adept raised her eyebrows in shock, looking down in amazement at the dish before her. On it was a massive, weighty fish that was long by two lengths of her arm. Its baked body lay lifeless with its head flopped over the side of the elliptical plate; its dead eyes looked up forlornly at Sheba.

Frowning, she said, "I didn't imagine it being such a large fish. I don't think I could possibly finish it all."

The innkeeper gently noted, "Do not worry, my dear. We use the scraps for the garden's soil."

Still lost, Sheba simply nodded and, once everyone was served, commenced eating her dinner.

By the time that bellies were full and everyone was solely working on clearing one's plate, the Adepts began to discuss their plans for that night. The topic of Akketch's true relation to Naadiya had already been brought up when Sheba questioned Jenna about her bandaged forearms.

Jenna jumped unexpectedly. "Oh, these?" she foolishly asked. Caught unawares, she was trying to buy some time. "Bad reaction to Akketch. Nothing too serious."

"What do you mean, 'bad reaction'?" Sheba asked as Piers said, "I wouldn't say it is anything less than grave!" The two Adepts looked at each other.

"How serious is it, Piers?" the Jupiter Adept questioned. Jenna tried to interject, but Sheba had given her a stern look and silenced her. "What happened?"

The Lemuria first looked to the flame-user, who closed her eyes and nodded to give him permission. Piers bowed his head slowly in thanks.

"It seems that Jenna's meeting with Naadiya left her with more than the task of retrieving Akketch; she also gave her a curse mark that reacted upon touching the boy. In response, the curse marks on Jenna's forearms seared her skin, leaving behind small blisters on red, shiny skin that is painful to the touch." Noting Sheba's look of shock, Piers added, "Not to worry, Sheba. I've treated Jenna's burns with herbal ointments and dressed them." As he said this, he looked at the Mars Adept fondly. "Unfortunately, Ply seems altogether ineffective on Jenna's burns. My guess is that the curse has —."

"Okay, Piers, that's enough of an explanation!" Sheba interjected. Then, sharply turning her head to the scholar at the table, she barked, "Did _you_ know about this?"

Choking on his food, the old man wheezed. "I happened to walk in on the two while Piers was bandaging Jenna. At that time," he coughed, "they informed me as to what was going on and why. So yes, my child, I did know."

The young girl grimaced. "Why was I the last to know about this? Don't you think I'm a little important?" she asked accusingly. Then, in response to everyone silently eying each other, she slammed her hands on the table, stood up, and left the room.

"I'm sure she was very worried about you, Jenna," Kraden said softly with a smile.

The remaining female looked at him sadly. Then, she stood. "I'll go talk to her."

"Sit, Jenna." Felix's voice was dry, and he appeared rather unmoved. "We have much to talk about and little time for it." With a look at the window, anyone could see that the sun had dropped low in the sky.

"All the more reason for why I should get her!"

"No. This time, the misinformation is her fault."

Slowly and solemnly, Jenna took her seat at the table.

In an effort to detach Jenna from her feelings of regret and guilt, Felix pushed the conversation on her. "While we were onboard with Akketch, Jenna extended to him a fine invitation."

"Oh, is that so?" the scholar asked with interest. "What kind of invitation, Jenna?"

Jenna began by explaining why she believed Akketch ought not to remain with the pirates. Then, she told them she offered to let Akketch sail with them. "It's only until we find him a suitable home," she defended herself. "Besides, he might not even come."

"If he does," Felix concluded, "he will meet us by dawn either at the town entrance or by our ship."

"Jenna," asked Kraden, "had you thought about the implications of this offer? There seems to be no town between Yallam and Tundaria on the map."

The girl lowered her gaze. "No, I wasn't thinking about anything other than getting that boy off that ship. I'm sorry. Now I see that I acted hastily."

"It was very kind of you, in the least. However, now we are all tied into your invitation, not that it bothers me much. It may come as a trouble to the boy." Kraden smiled. "Next time, just be sure to keep in mind the people affected by your decisions."

Jenna half smiled. "Thanks, Kraden. I will."

"What are your plans for this night, in relation to this towns 'unexpected visit'?" Piers asked.

The conversation having been brought back on track, Felix thanked the Mercury Adept. "We expect the pirates to arrive in the hours when the townspeople are asleep, so we have between now and then to get some rest. I propose that splitting up will maximize our effectiveness. Jenna and I saw these men, four in total. The do not seem particularly strong, but even if we cannot take them down singlehandedly, increasing our field of vision is advantageous."

"Where will you have us?" questioned Piers, eager to set the plan in motion.

Felix took a sip of his drink before answering. "Sheba being the smallest, I thought she could hide well in the trees atop the highest hill of this town."

"Where Sunshine lives?" Jenna asked.

Her brother nodded. "I imagine his collection of metals may be a target, as well as the goods at the armory and weaponry at the base of that hill. For that reason, I want another person to hide underneath the bridge where he or she can easily be hidden and still have a good view. Jenna, would you care to take that place?"

"Sure can."

"Good. That leaves you and me, Piers. Would you cover the town entrance?"

"You can leave it to me!" he replied excitedly.

"I shall wait by the inn. Kraden, I've assigned you the immeasurably important task of waking us all at the time when most of the villagers have gone to sleep."

The old man chuckled. "I shall do it, Felix. Only, try to be a little more jovial when I wake you." He was alluding to the fact that the Valish man was quite the grouchy riser.

"I'm sorry, Kraden. That seems to be permanently engrained into my character."

He scoffed. "Well, it was worth the request."

…

Darkness fell across Yallam. Hours before, Felix, Jenna, and Piers had taken their rest. Sheba, too, had returned to the inn after letting off some steam. The old scholar welcomed her in and informed her about the team's plans for that night. Afterwards, she climbed into bed and drifted off to sleep.

Kraden sat in a chair by the window and gazed at the bright moon. He smiled. The moon was full. Somewhere west of Yallam, perched high in the mountains, a group of lycanthropes was thrashing their teeth under the brilliant light.

_I should like to speak with Maha again_, Kraden thought._ Perhaps after the quest is over, we will go to visit him. I do hope he is well._ And with that thought in mind, he closed his eyes and nodded to sleep.

* * *

I hope you enjoyed this chapter! I would like to thank you all for reading, reviewing, following, and favorite-ing. I sincerely appreciate your appreciation. Thank you!

Here are some fun facts, in case you care to read them. So, when I choose names for characters, I typically choose names that have some kind of meaning to them. The names I chose for the pirates Ofydd, Padrig, Eilwen, and Talyessin are all of Welsh origin. They mean "roman poet", "noble", "white-browed", and "handsome" respectively. The fact that these names are Welsh has absolutely nothing to do with the story or characteristics of the men who bare them, and it certainly does not mean to offend anyone of Welsh origin. I was simply trying to find some cool-sounding names and found these; I thought you might appreciate to know what they mean, too.


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